Every application, tech can think of these days is either to show ads or to gather more data to show ads, or need to constantly watch people. In real life these applications would’ve been called creeps, perverts etc.
I hesitated to post this one because the article frames the research as answering a question with a yet to be known answer. As though someone will suddenly "discover" that these next generation communication systems can also be used for sensing. I imagine the public media reveal will be of the sentiment: "wow, who knew?!"
But a quick google scholar search for the keywords "joint communication and sensing" or "perceptive mobile network" or "passive opportunistic sensing" shows that there is no question. The potential for sensing capability is built in and extremely well studied. Research has been ongoing for over a decade.
In a literal sense I can see that but I just struggle with that framing because it's so charged and in my mind what's happen is a lot more complex, messy and irrational.
For example, there are a lot of people who understand and are excited about "internet of things" but don't realize that our bodies can be used as big wobbly RFID antennas. A lot of people are hyped about XR tracking tech and "the metaverse" but bury their heads in the sand for the larger contextual implications of these technologies becoming cheap and ubiquitous.
It's possible to consciously understand all of the technical aspects of these tools and how they work and have seen it coming from decades away but still be shocked to the point of disbelief at the implications when the technology finally surfaces.
That's the point I'm at now. Are these things "future" we want to live in? Maybe we have to taste it to know its bitterness.
I imagine there are a lot of researchers in this field who carry a kind of wishful, optimistic tunnel vision about the scope of possible applications of this emerging infrastructure. Many of the example applications given have to do with personal fitness or elderly care.
So in some sense this is at least as much about collective willful ignorance or helplessness as it is some kind of coverup.
The "actual conspiracy" aspect of this situation is complex too. There's just so much bad information out there it's hard to make sense of what's organically festering and what's been willingly seeded or cultivated.
Lying comms departments are definitely a thing though. Lying is something that does definitely happen.
One thing I do come away feeling certain about is that critical scientific and cultural literacy are really important. A lot of people have one but not the other. A lot of people have literacy in either or both areas but it's not critical.
https://staceyoniot.com/the-next-big-wi-fi-standard-is-for-s...