Audio Surveillance On Trains Now Records Conversations

The surveillance state is getting quite bold:

Casual commuter conversations on light rail trains have an unexpected eavesdropper — NJ Transit.

Video and audio surveillance systems designed to make riders more secure are also recording the conversations of light rail passengers at all times.

NJ Transit officials say the on-board cameras and audio surveillance systems are needed to fight crime and maintain security.

But does on-board surveillance go too far when the agency records everything passengers are saying, without telling customers how long they keep or who has access to the recordings?

Another sign that there is just too much money floating around. It is surprising they are trying to muscle this thing through publicly. My guess is that train has something of interest on it. Maybe a media person they want to compromise, maybe a politico of some sort, maybe some criminal element. These days it could be anything.

All of these little mass intrusions seem harmless to the sheep, who assume nobody is ever looking specifically at them. As each one is acceded to, another inevitably pops up. Today it is recording conversations on trains, tomorrow it will be recording conversations on everyone’s streets, in everyone’s front yards, and finally even in their homes.

But imagine if the government decided to target you one day, and suddenly they can pull all of these little privacy intrusions from the surveillance matrix surrounding you. Overnight, some bureaucratic pogue is in all your business, and you have no privacy.

My advice – if you are going to piss off the government, make it a big one. Be a part of something that fucks shit up for decades, or even centuries to come. That way you can sit back and enjoy the fun with the full knowledge you earned it, and it is all worthwhile.