Mobile Future: Part 3

"Smarter Tech Breeds Smarter Criminals"

Continued discussion from "Everyone Is A Bounty Hunter"

Now let's go back to the story about Leeroy for a moment and clarify some points that may be of interest. We won't worry about Leeroy's reasons for turning in the criminal, but how about what the criminal actually did the week the fiber optic network went dark at Wachovia bank on 5th street? The criminal, let's call him George, had made the first bank robbery in Chicago in several years by disabling the very technology that made the bank so secure. By detonating an EMP device, the primary and redundant power supply to the bank was knocked off line for about 3 minutes. More than enough time to bypass the active network security system and apply device shielded from the EMP which would intercept various parts of the reboot sequence of the banks network. This of course allowed George enough paths to access the specific information he wanted - the armored truck routes and schedules for the next six weeks.

But the information has been triple encrypted and the encryption keys are stored at separate remote and secure locations known and accessible only by the bank managers of each branch in the city. George knows one of the managers and has convinced him no one would know about his part in the deal should something happen and he would make it worth his while to help him. The manager has seen George get away with worse agrees to break the encryption. After all, there would be no record of him accessing the the routes and schedules info, just the encryption keys. Little did they know, George had been spotted walking to the manager's by Leeroy only moments earlier...

You see, information is worth a whole lot more these days, and had George put that information to use this would likely turn out much differently. However, we wouldn't have any of the above information about George's story without the multiple sources from eyewitnesses like Leeroy that led up to the arrest. As for how much information is worth, for whatever reasons, that depends on how much the community decides it's worth. It also could be decided by the community what the appropriate punishment for George should be. Brings a whole new meaning to "Social Security", don't you think?

In Related News...
YouTube Video Triggers FBI Probe Of L.A. Arrest - These are the type of cases you'll likely see a lot more of in the future. A lot more people will have ready access to mobile devices with integrated cameras, it will become easier to upload video to hosting/streaming sites such as YouTube and Google Video, and the masses will debate on and possibly decide on the best consequence matches the act. Remember, we'll be watching the government as the government watch us.

Also, the usage of social community sites like Digg to help solve problems will continue to escalate. For instance, it has been used to look for missing people, solve complex math equations, and provide multiple perspectives on subjects that require them. These tools and resources will only get better, more efficient, and reliable as more people use them.