As with lots of my tales right here on Medium, this one was triggered by a confluence of triggers: A guide I’m studying and a few disturbing press tales that cropped up this week. On prime of that’s my innate hatred of untargeted widespread surveillance. In 2023 I went to an airshow in Swansea (Wales) and that is what I used to be subjected to:
They took my privateness significantly? No method. I used to be significantly sad about this. It was not a demo, it was a free public occasion on a seaside. It was not an airport or authorities workplace. What the hell? Completely unwarranted.
Anyway, the triggers. The guide (Damascus Station by David McCloskey) is an espionage thriller which is ready in Syria simply earlier than the current fall of Bashar al-Assad. The CIA makes use of facial recognition software program to verify a goal’s id earlier than assassination. It’s a gripping learn written by a former CIA officer and is heavy on tradecraft.
