Pre-Crime Software Moves One Step Closer to RealityNicholas West This data integration initiative is taking place across the board in our largest federal agencies and departments as part of an Office of Science and Technology outline (PDF) that includes a $200 million upfront investment, as well as a $250 million annual investment by military departments into human-computer interaction. The $200 million in the Obama program will be spread among the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Geological survey, and DARPA to see that the information they collect will move quickly from data to decisions. Seeing the vast potential of Big Data management and applications, Oblong Industries the actual creator of the software that appeared in the movie Minority Report, (known by its propriety name g-speak) is now offering a commercial version in the marketplace. An AFP article posted at Raw Story is quick to point out that the software has been stripped of its pre-crime detection analytics. But should this blanket dismissal by a mainstream news agency be comforting in light of stated U.S. government goals that seek to turn science fiction into science reality? John P. Holdren, Obamas science czar, and author of the controversial eugenics tome,Ecoscience, is one of those directing the solution to the data overload problem. This alone should force us to be hyper-vigilant. The FBI has recently announced that facial recognition will be coming to a state near you: WhileOblong Industries claims to have disabled the analytics portion of the software that could be used in pre-crime screening taken right from the Minority Report film, they state that private companies and law enforcement agencies could certainly augment their scaled-back version by introducing their own analytics. Furthermore, the earlier-mentioned AFP article downplays the significance of the software by stating that Oblong currently has no government customers in the United States or abroad but offers itself as a core technology provider.' However, two of Oblongs current clients areBoeing the worlds second largest defense contractor and drone specialists;and #12 General Electric specialists in electronic warfare components and military communication systems. Their combined annual sales are more than $35 billion, which makes it quite likely that new technology will be embraced and proliferated. (Source) Oblongs own website states that their companyworks with Global Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and universities to develop custom gspeak solutions. Their application areas include: To reinforce the obvious, Oblongs Chief Executive, Kwin Kramer, has stated flatly that, We think law enforcement and intelligence are big data users and we think our technology is the leader. It is also worth noting that the g-speak Minority Report technology was developed at MIT and has been 30 years in the making. MIT has quite a storied history of connections to intelligence agencies; the CIA having actuallystarted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for International Studies (MIT-CIS) in 1950. (Source) The implied connections are in plain view on MITs own website: http://web.mit.edu/policies/14/14.5.html And Orwell smiles. For a glimpse into the cool sales pitch behind Oblong Industries Big Data management software, please view the following video. While we should keep an open mind to how advancements in computer tech can be exciting and rewarding, while offering novel ways of human interaction, it is most important to ensure that these technologies are not hoarded by governments and elites who have a clear history of negatively impacting true human development, as well as freedom of movement, expression and self-determination. To read other articles by Nicholas West click HERE You can support this information by voting on Reddit HERE 