Defeating MPAA spy systems
p2pnet.net News:- Our story on JVC’s new camcorder with a hard drive sparked a couple of interesting Reader’s Writes (both possibly from the same person ; )
Anyhow, read on >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
What premium camcorders really need is a way to detect those pesky night-vision binoculars and other spy devices that are becoming all too common in movie theaters.
In the old days, when small families, single parent households and working mothers were still rare, just about the only place where a young couple could go to get some ‘privacy’ was in the back of the movie theater. No longer. They might now even find themselves in a video – perhaps shot by cinema security – posted on one of those voyeur websites.
What movie-goers really need these days is something to protect their privacy. A device that alerts users when they are being scanned would be a very useful feature, and a camcorder would be the perfect vehicle to introduce this device.
Better yet, what about an infrared jammer?
You simply use one or two devices to generate large amounts of IR light to blind any onlookers.
Ok, so not exactly stealthy, but it would make surveillance close to impossible if everyone was using such devices.
Other fun (and slightly crazy) ideas include:
- IR screen: tent-like structure around several seats that blocks IR light
- Laser that locks on sources of infrared light to cook the source
- Fake cameras: certified non-working to stage a conter-suit for violation of privacy
- Camera-glasses: looks harmless, the cord around your neck goes to a HD in your belt
Seriously though, theaters just have to step down from the whole interdiction routine.
I mean, taking away picture-capable phones?
What’s next, flashing you a la Men In Black so you won’t reveal the ending to others or even remember seeing the film?
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See:-
new camcorder – Camcorder with a hard drive, p2pnet, November 27, 2004
November 28th, 2004 at 6:08 pm
I wrote the first comment but not the second, something that can easily be verified with a reverse-DNS IP lookup to get the ISP name. (unless user connects through a proxy) Even just the IP number itself can be a clue. Mine usually start 64.40… sometimes 66.109…
Most forum software allows mods and admins to track users’ IP – and can even list all IPs used under each username, or search for all posts from the same IP, in case some banned users try to get back in.
Some discussion pages even automatically post the IP address of the writer for all to see, or do port scans of all users to check if they are using a proxy.
Unfortunately a lot of forums also seem to be ‘moderated’ by youngsters who like to create and enforce rules, delete posts and lock or even delete entire threads.
I guess it’s nice to see a laid-back discussion site where you can even be anonymous and the admin does not even care.
November 28th, 2004 at 6:32 pm
p2pnet isn’t moderated either. I try to have a look at the posts (hence this ’story’) but I by no means see them all.
As I say on the page privacy, “By accessing p2pnet.net, you’re agreeing to be bound by absolutely nothing. And as far as stats go, p2pnet doesn’t collect, analyse or do anything at all with visitor information …”
Cheers!
November 28th, 2004 at 6:51 pm
Maybe this could be useful to create false positives on their side…
http://www.aaroncake.net/circuits/jammer.htm
November 28th, 2004 at 11:42 pm
A high powered 5 watt infrared diode with a laser will piss them off good. Distract them while someone else does the filming, and possibly damage their night vision gear with a shot of high powered laser light.
November 28th, 2004 at 11:47 pm
I wouldnt care, I could get even as well. A portable microwave generator sounds fantastic. That will destroy any electronics in range, poof goes their goggles and sensors and cameras around the theatre watching everyone. Just take care not to burn anyone with it or point it near yer friends camera.
November 29th, 2004 at 1:48 am
Just remember to avoid hitting the projection equipment!
;-p
That’s why I ruled out EMP…
If you stop the showing of the film it’s kind of pointless.
November 29th, 2004 at 1:58 am
Night-vision systems are passive ambient light amplifiers which see by any ambient light, not just infrared. Many of the light amplifiers can “see” near-infrared light sources, but they could also filter them out if they wanted. They aren’t damaged by bright infrared lights (what good would a military night-vision system be if the flash of an explosion blinded the user or damaged the system?). But the theater security staff would certainly be interested in anyone using an infrared light source in the theatre, and would probably track them down and eject them.
November 29th, 2004 at 2:09 am
Right.
Although I didn’t anticipate you’d put my crazy post in a story…
(I wrote the second post.)
Otherwise I’d have though of more crazy ideas!
Actually, come to think of it if you raised the room temperature it would probably prevent accurate rendering of the room with IR light…
Bring your battery powered heating system to the theater!
If they question you, say you have a rare condition that makes you faint in cold spaces or something!
Or just bring along lots of friends and spend the trailers playing frisbee!
(finding other heat generating activities is left as an exercise to the reader)
November 29th, 2004 at 2:14 am
Yeah, EMP’s would be Omnidirectional, a microwave transmitter would be Unidirectional, meaning its aimable, so avoiding the projector would be simple, I’d rather hit them idiots where it hurts. You’d have to destroy their equipment remotely since they’d always have to replace it and they hopefully would give up lol. Another issue would be power, but that can be covered easily with a 7AH 12 volt lead acid in yer pocket to power all your gismo’s of destruction. There are many ways to do this properly, finding the effective ones would take time. Since IR is light, you cant interfear with it, you cant stop it, all you can do is make so much of it that goggles would become a chore to use. A high power laser would work, but a microwave beam would probably be better since it has good ability to fry electronic stuff like those pesky night vision goggles. Another option is alot of radio frequency on a high power output, this can mess up alot of electronics, but again would be omnidirection hence no good, but probably alright if your theatre uses standard film projector, but then again, the sound system, yeah, doh. In another few years, cameras that can record in high resolution will be so small that they will be the size of a small flashlight and they be so simple to conceal.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF FAKE CAMERAS THO!!!!!!
You gotta admit that would be fun to piss them off with.
November 29th, 2004 at 2:20 am
Leaves one solution, microwave energy, I have a few magnetron’s laying around along with some driver circuitry… and no, not microwave oven magnetrons as these would be near impossible to make portable considering their massive power requirements. They are capable of frying electronics at a 20 foot range while only making ones skin warm to the touch, since they are very high freq microwaves, still powerful nonetheless, and the driver circutry allows one of these devices to run off of 12 volts DC at one and a half ampres. Oh, and these babies are unidirectional, they only fire their load in one direction. Also a 7AH battery for an alarm system fits really nicely in a waist pouch.
The minute the theatre here starts doing this shit taking away my privacy, I will deal with it myself, and no, I have no intentions to film movies with a camera. I want my privacy and will fight to get it.
November 29th, 2004 at 2:32 am
“Maybe this could be useful to create false positives on their side…
http://www.aaroncake.net/circuits/jammer.htm”
Cool!
Maybe we could make a hat with lots of diodes all around…
Infrared floods of pulsing lights! Yay!
Anyone in electronics who could make a prototype?
Just imagine the scene in a theater near you:
(in the middle of the movie two men approach the hat wearer)
“Excuse me sir, you’ll have to give us this hat.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s preventing our equipment from spying on you.”
“You can’t spy on us!”
“Sir, we have to make sure you are not videotaping the movie.”
“With my hat?”
“No, with a camera.”
“But it’s a hat, not a camera!”
“Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Because I’m wearing a hat? You’re discriminating against the bald!”
“Sir, we’ll have to call the police if you don’t leave willingly.”
“And tell them what, I was trying to steal your movie with my hat?”
“Sir…”
“Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
(everyone throws popcorn towards the theater employees)
November 29th, 2004 at 5:06 am
Well, assuming the room is rather dark (we are talking about film projection here) they would have to use other frequencies to see as using normal light would spoil the movie watching.
Now I do not have experience with infrared devices but I guess without generating an infrared light source they won’t see very clearly (not good enough resolution anyway – we’re talking about locating cameras and spying on couples making out).
But they can emit infrared and “see” using reflected infrared just like normal light.
Now if you were to generate lots of infrared light directly to the lens used to see infrared it would saturate and be unable to detect the rest of the room. If you don’t know where they are you can try to generate as much as possible to prevent normal functions.
Of course if there’s only one source of light spillage you might not get away with it but you could try it with lots of people.
What are they going to do?
It’s not against the law (assuming the devices do not break regulations or something) and if they throw you out you ask for a refund and expose the spying they do to everyone you know, press, etc.
THEIR spying might even be against local law.
November 29th, 2004 at 3:57 pm
Does anyone actually know how they detect people using these cameras?
The main sources of IR in the bandpass of the goggles are the people.
These are what the goggles were designed to see, ie to kill people in the dark.
The goggles would help to increase the contrast in a cool dark cinema but the cameras themselves should be quite dark. This means the watchers are
mostly watching what people are doing.
I believe that people in the projector booth also use the goggles. Aiming a dose of microwaves in the direction of the projectionist is not a good idea, since microwaves can not be well collimated over distance.
All the crazy ideas in this story and the comments have a high kook index.
Forget about lasers, LED hats, jammers, EMPs, IR screens, personal heaters, etc. Although there is some validity to some of the things mentioned, you might try studying the physics of radiation a little more before coming up with your ideas.
The best way for someone not to get caught is for them not to act suspisiously
like bending over focusing a camera, or change a tape. Ironically one of the best ways to remove suspision is probably to act like a kanoodling couple.
Anyway, cams suck so don’t bother.
November 30th, 2004 at 12:56 am
Actually, all the googles in the world won’t make you see in the dark if there’s no infrared light in the room.
Usually you use such a source of light in order to see.
The source of light might be at a different place than the observer.
Also, IR is light, not radiation.
Although more study is always usefull, just saying “study more” is not.
The point is that there probably is a technological way to stop their gismos that see in the dark from working, and we just need to find it.
December 2nd, 2004 at 10:18 pm
The 9th Circuit court rules that bloggers and online news sites do not get the same 1st amendment rights as the traditional offline press does.
Quotes: Fosbinder criticized the panel for failing to “even mention” the First Amendment and argued that if a similar standard were applied to print media, it would authorize a copyright owner to “shut down the New York Times on a mere suspicion.”
The “good faith” standard has been held, under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, under federal securities laws, and in other contexts, to include an obligation to make a reasonable investigation into the truth of an allegation before making it, Fosbinder said.
The court’s interpretation of the DMCA creates “a second class of First Amendment protection for a new mode of communication,” Fosbinder said. If the interpretation is correct, then the DMCA is unconstitutional, he declared.
An amicus brief was also filed in the case on behalf of the Internet Commerce Coalition, a trade association which includes AT&T, BellSouth Corporation, eBay Inc., MCI, SBC Communications Inc., Time Warner, and Verizon Communications.
This ruling affirms that copyright holders do not need to conduct ANY investigation in order to have an online news website shut down. It shows that online news sites do not get the same rights as tradition news outlets.
This ruling also shows how as reported on Fox News: “The 9th Circuit seems to wield an awful lot of power, and it is the most reversed court in the nation,” “There’s some serious judicial activism going on there.” http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,139436,00.html
Links: http://www.metnews.com/articles/2004/ross120204.htm
http://www.internetmovies.com/legal.html
The Ruling: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/5F0FA19839BAF10A88256F5D0003D3C3/$file/0316034.pdf?openelement
Contact: Jim FOSBINDER of FOSBINDER & FOSBINDER A LAW CORPORATION for comments or interviews
(808)244-1524 tel. toll free: (877)244-1527
Or Mike Rossi of InternetMovies.com @ 808-283-2885
Please help get this story out. This is most certainly going to supreme court and may very well help prove the DMCA unconstitutional