Google Balloons : Wi-fi provider or snoop platform?

[muman613]

Google's project 'loon' intends to launch several high-altitude balloons into the atmosphere in the attempt to provide high-speed internet to areas of the world where other methods of providing access are not practical.

While in theory this may sound good I myself have some reservations about this. Considering the current surveillance which our government engages is, with information provided by Google and other tech companies, maybe this project should be considered another intrusion into the privacy of the people.

I also think high-altitude balloons may facilitate visual surveillance with cameras mounted on the balloons. These derigibles would be the perfect platform to provide 24 hour surveillance from the air of entire swaths of city and country.

I put this to a poll to see if anyone else considers this to be an issue.



http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnvillasenor/2013/06/16/can-google-fly-its-internet-balloons-
wherever-it-wants/

http://readwrite.com/2013/06/19/a-handy-guide-to-google-project-loon#awesm=~o9eNh6GRzN8uAt

[Zelhar]

They plan to fly those balloons over Africa and remote places right ? Looks like it is irrelevant from my perspective, I just wonder how they could turn a profit from such a project.

[cjd]

Some time back some company or another planned to deploy balloons like that to provide wireless internet service here in the USA... The proposal was to put up 3 balloons at points across the country that possibly could have provided direct service to all the lower 48 states...  I believe that this might be  something along them lines.

[Israel Chai]

Google's project 'loon' intends to launch several high-altitude balloons into the atmosphere in the attempt to provide high-speed internet to areas of the world where other methods of providing access are not practical.

While in theory this may sound good I myself have some reservations about this. Considering the current surveillance which our government engages is, with information provided by Google and other tech companies, maybe this project should be considered another intrusion into the privacy of the people.

I also think high-altitude balloons may facilitate visual surveillance with cameras mounted on the balloons. These derigibles would be the perfect platform to provide 24 hour surveillance from the air of entire swaths of city and country.

I put this to a poll to see if anyone else considers this to be an issue.



http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnvillasenor/2013/06/16/can-google-fly-its-internet-balloons-
wherever-it-wants/

http://readwrite.com/2013/06/19/a-handy-guide-to-google-project-loon#awesm=~o9eNh6GRzN8uAt

if they want to  film you, they'll film you.

[muman613]

I am reminded of the crafts which looked like Derigibles in the movie blade runner. These crafts were used to advertise among other things...

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

It's an eventual threat to freedom and a tool that will be used for evil!

[Rubystars]

It will just make it easier for terrorists in third world cesspools to have internet access.

[IsraelForever]

I don't see this as an issue.  They're high-altitude balloons.  Now let's keep this in mind:  Have you gone onto google.maps and looked at the satellite view?  It's all there already.  And you know the spies-in-the-sky that the CIA uses.  Those satellites can read the name on a golf ball sitting on the fairway.  My point:  If they want to snoop from the sky, they can already do it.  The horse has left that barn a long time ago.