dhs to fly its own "birds"

satellite surveillance turned on the"homeland"( I hate that term).
http://www.infowars.com/articles/bb/dhs_new_spy_sat_watch_americans.htm

Cyber-security program coming too.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119812248622741723.html?mod=hps_us_whats_news

WASHINGTON -- After delaying a domestic satellite-surveillance program for more than two months, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff expects to finalize a new charter for it this week, a move that attempts to quell civil-liberties concerns and get the program back on track.
Mr. Chertoff also plans soon to unveil a cyber-security strategy, part of an estimated $15 billion, multiyear program designed to protect the nation's Internet infrastructure. The program has been shrouded in secrecy for months and has also prompted privacy concerns on Capitol Hill because it involves government protection of domestic computer networks.

 

Protection scheme hmm... didn't we used to bust gangs for doing this ? Didn't we call that racketeering ?

I'm not saying they are going to squeeze money out of those protected. But to protect networks you have to control access control the information. Isn't this one of the steps to subjugate people ? I for one DO NOT trust the governmet not to abuse that and turn it into subjugation.

 

I don't like it ,don't like it one bit...got this strange feeling these are the good old days...

 

Yeah, the good ole' days. The internet used to be a community of the educated, the egalitarian free thinkers. Now that the rest of the world came in it is just as seedy, corrupt, biggoted and trashy as anywhere else.
The government and LE in general bring their own unique ills to the net.

 

"Demands to justify the congressional legality of the satellites, which were originally mandated for foreign surveillance, followed the revelation that a new department branch called the National Applications Office would oversee the program and be responsible for providing images from the satellites to non military law enforcement agencies.
Critics have called for cuts to DHS funding, stressing that the program is in direct violation of the Posse Comitatus act, which prevents the use of military for domestic law enforcement. It also violates the fourth amendment as the satellites are capable of seeing through the walls of people's homes.
Domestic intelligence and security agencies are now receiving more funding for spy satellites than the military."

I'm an Imagery Analyst for the USAF and I swore an oath to defend the constitution. I'm glad the .gov knew better than to try to make me be part of a program like this. That last sentence scared me a bit though, more money for spying on Americans than for spying on our enemies? Really? W.T.F?​

 

I was not aware that such technology existed

I hope they can see this

 

I highly doubt it is infrared or even close. As light travels through the atmosphere distortions occour and from 80 miles away it is bad enough to get just atmosphere distortions. Add the distortion a solid object (roof and it's ancilary items and construction) and I don't think infrared would be usable from space. Radar however is a whole different ballgame. Phase array radar resolution has gotten accurate to the degree that we can identify different vehicles against solid earth from aircraft mounted radar. Microwaves are also less prone to atmospheric distortions. I would bet more likely technology used to see through walls if it does exist at all would be phase array radar. Maybe even phase array capable of analysing backscatter effect from space. Also phase array could have a much larger collector at minimal weight gain. Unlike optical systems. Mere speculation on my part though.

 

Big +50 to what MM said. I had a budd who was spec ops during Vietnam and while a bit bulkier back then, they he had used a scope that had 3 setings for normal, NV, and IR, they also had used burst radios of a sort that is just recently becomeing more common knowledge. I had also been told about 20 years ago by a guy who claimed to have used it in his job and was credible that they had the technology that could be mounted in a chopper and could both see and hear everything in your house as they flew over. While it probably was the IR and bionic ear stuff back then since his job wasnt even military or intelligence, it was still tech that is still generly thought to only be in scifi. Point being that you an genneraly assume that for any technoligy useful for survalence, comms and general military use, the gov/mil is probably at Least 20 years ahead of the market. What do you think would be possible with technoligy in another 20 years?

 

Suggested Viewing:

Blade Runner
Logan's Run
Soylent Green

 

http://novaspectra.com/applications.html

"terahertz wave imaging technology.iirc it's/was fairly close range(?)
"

• UAV Reconnaissance Sensors
  For use in unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) requiring compactness, light weight and low power under multi-spectral conditions.
• TeraHertz Imaging Sensors
  For through-wall imaging of objects and human bodies.
• Dime-sized Solar Converters
  For providing auxiliary power to commu"
• http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMZ1R1A6BD_Improving_0.html

 

Backscatter is being used in imaging quite a bit nowadays. Backscatter x-ray is being used to take clothes off people. (new airport xray) I read backscatter from multiple radar emitters and multiple receivers (different locations) being possibly be used to detect "stealth" aircraft.

Backscatter if I am understanding it correctly is simply analyzing a signal refected off something from multiple points even on the same array. Each separate point (receiver) will have different information on it that as a whole can be built to form an image that would be unavailable to any single point. Kind of like a eyes or ears. Each eye and ear gets slightly different information. Analyze the differences in arrival time, phase shift etc and you can get more information from two than you can from one.

A single point of analysis might yield you the reflection of something. Multiple points will yield you not only the object but possibly it's surface contours.

Your eye works in much the same way. You have an array of cells at the back of your eye that analyzes the backscatter of light from the object you are seeing.

The advantage of microwaves vs light is it's resistance to interferance by the atmosphere.

There might be some uber new technology out there that they are using. But I mentioned phase array radar because to me that technology is closest to acheiving seeing through walls from space.


Forgot to add... we already use radar to see what is below the surface of the ground. I imagine the HUGE variance of density of airspace vs solid objects inside a house would make it that much easier for radar to image.

 

It also wouldnt surprise me to much if some clever fllow had figured out how to manipulate and or read thing useing the earths magnetic fields to do something quite limilar to MRIs which create (in a close area with artificaly created magnetic fields) images of all leavels of the subject so the viewer just peels back as many layers as wanted or needed to view in all 3 dimensions whatever they want to look at. If so then it would be totaly conceavable to be able to look at people inside a structure even to the point of looking at their internal organs (or say their dental work) or with a few key strokes back off and see the image of the people and objects in the room and their interactions then by monitoring the vibrations of the structure possily listen in as well even fro a great distance.

May not be so but such things existing and being under wraps would not surprise me at all.

 

Eh, who knows.... they had supersonic unmanned flight decades before it was declassified. I believe we had stealth aircraft in operation at least 8 years before it was made public. I imagine government policy has not changed much concerning their newest toys.

 

http://www.truthnews.us/?p=1366
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2007/12/21/lexid-lobster-eye-x-ray-camera/

These are hand held, not space based. But as others have already pointed out, this is only the commercially available technology. The good stuff may well be satellite based.

Considering they're supposed to be "commercially affordable," I'd expect one in every police car within a decade. They can see through 3 inches of steel. Does anyone think they'll get a search warrant every time they turn one on? Me neither.

 

Geez, I had no idea they had a handheld unit. The geek in me wants one sooooo bad.

 

Could be cool to have.