The Guardian got hold of this 2010 video demonstration of Raytheon, a big-time contractor that develops as things like missile systems for the Ministry of Defence, which is an online monitoring tool called rapid technological overlay information or RIOT. As Brian Urch Raytheon says in the video, the system takes data from an individual social networks such as Facebook, Foursquare and Gowalla (remember, this is the end of 2010 in the video), it is mapped using and analysis Google Earth location information to understand where a person was and what routines are that person, and even predict where a person may be at some point.
Super scary part of the demo that comes with Urch line at the end: "So if you ever want to try to get their hands on Nick, or perhaps get your hands on a laptop, you can visit the gym at 6am on Monday. "
Contrary to some reports this morning other views on the subject, RIOT was not a top secret project so far. In fact, it was announced by the company in a press release a few months before the date of the video below.
Raytheon says he did not sell the software proof-of-concept to all customers, according to the Guardian story, but it works on the design RIOT data analytical system "with industry, national laboratories and commercial partners to help transform massive amounts of data into usable information to help meet our nation's rapidly changing security needs. "
Whatever the deployment phase, to hear such comments flip on how your daily check-in at the gym could be used to target you is still cold. Makes a person want to hunker down in his cabin and cut off all contact with the real world.
Oh wait, Raytheon also a way to keep an eye on you, too. You win Big Brother.
