Snitch Society: Orwellian ads creeping out viewers!
LOS ANGELES, Kalifornia - October 25, 2009 - An advertisement released by the Los Angeles Police Department urging the public to participate in an anti-terror snooping program is being described by numerous observers and news sources with a single word: creepy.
The one-and-a-half minute spot features a multicultural line-up of speakers explaining why they participate in iWatch, a "neighborhood watch for the whole city," as the ad describes it.
"If you see, hear, or smell something suspicious, report it. Reporting is easy. Use the web or the phone," the speakers state. "A single report can lead to actions that can stop a terrorist attack. Think about that. Think about the power of that. Think about the power of iWatch."
And indeed plenty of people are now thinking about the power of iWatch, and many observers are not impressed. Allison Kilkenny, on her TrueSlant blog, says it won't be long before iWatch will be exploited by people for their own purposes.
These kinds of anonymous hotlines are ripe for abuse, and there exist endless possibilities of innocent citizens being reported by their neighbors for the crime of “Living While Being Arab.”
The LAPD is "creeping out Amerika" with the ad, states KNBC in Los Angeles. The station cites outgoing LAPD Chief William Bratton, who said that "a single terrorism incident would do more harm to the city's image and economy than 50 gang murders."
"Absolutely true - but do we really have to be so creepy with the promotional videos?" asked the station in its report. "This is L.A. There are probably one or two writers, actors and directors that would be willing to cut out some of that creepiness."
The one-and-a-half minute spot features a multicultural line-up of speakers explaining why they participate in iWatch, a "neighborhood watch for the whole city," as the ad describes it.
"If you see, hear, or smell something suspicious, report it. Reporting is easy. Use the web or the phone," the speakers state. "A single report can lead to actions that can stop a terrorist attack. Think about that. Think about the power of that. Think about the power of iWatch."
And indeed plenty of people are now thinking about the power of iWatch, and many observers are not impressed. Allison Kilkenny, on her TrueSlant blog, says it won't be long before iWatch will be exploited by people for their own purposes.
These kinds of anonymous hotlines are ripe for abuse, and there exist endless possibilities of innocent citizens being reported by their neighbors for the crime of “Living While Being Arab.”
The LAPD is "creeping out Amerika" with the ad, states KNBC in Los Angeles. The station cites outgoing LAPD Chief William Bratton, who said that "a single terrorism incident would do more harm to the city's image and economy than 50 gang murders."
"Absolutely true - but do we really have to be so creepy with the promotional videos?" asked the station in its report. "This is L.A. There are probably one or two writers, actors and directors that would be willing to cut out some of that creepiness."
