Big Brother may be watching — and shocking — you on a plane

by Steve Surjaputra

A few months ago we got word that Lamperd Less Lethal, Inc, a company based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, had developed a “bracelet that delivers debilitating shocks when remotely triggered.” The company proposed to the TSA that every airline passenger should be required to wear this device so flight attendants can zap passengers into a stupor if they turn out to be terrorists.

The bracelet would contain information about travelers, be able to track their whereabouts and baggage, take the place of a boarding pass, as well as employ Electro-Musclar Disruption technology that could immobilize them for nearly 10 minutes.

Now comes word via the Washington Times that, after watching the video on Lamperd’s Web site, a senior official within the Department of Homeland Security is seriously considering making this bracelet mandatory.

In a letter to the inventory of the bracelet, Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development, wants the company to submit a proposal. Ruwaldt feels that it will improve air security on passenger planes.

But what’s to stop flight attendants or air marshals, who will hold the remote control to activate it, from enabling the device on a passenger who just looks at them strangely?

It’ll be interesting to see how many people are willing to put up with this “minor inconvenience” for safety’s sake.

Looks like the culture that George Orwell wrote about in his novel 1984 may soon be here.

Published on July 8, 2008 ·

Comments

7 Responses to “Big Brother may be watching — and shocking — you on a plane”

On July 8th, 2008 at 10:10 am Ron G said

This has to be joke or some guy trying to push up a stock value. Not even considering the Big Brother issues…..

What happens when some ingenious person develops a transmitter to randomly trigger the pulses?
On July 8th, 2008 at 1:02 pm ali said

If this even goes anywhere NEAR consideration, it’ll be like trying to fight pirahnas underwater while duct-taped…

I think I’d prefer the Titanic.
On July 8th, 2008 at 1:41 pm Ron G said

Quote:
trying to fight pirahnas underwater while duct-taped…
End Quote

Now that is imagery that will stick in my head for a while……the question is, who’s the pirahnas, the passengers or the flight staff?
On July 8th, 2008 at 1:47 pm ali said

Well, if DHS seriously considers this, I’d imagine they would be the piranhas.. do we really have a chance against our “safety” implemented by the govt?
On July 8th, 2008 at 2:02 pm Ron G said

This has to be a ruse to float someone’s stock, the DHS is crazy, but not that crazy. What happens the first time they jolt a passenger with a heart condition….or (After seeing the headlines yesterday) a child running crazy up and down the aisles? You think the PR is bad when your employees forbid someone from flying? What happens when you stun a kid?

If anything, this article raised the awareness level of Lamperd Lethal…..their trading volume averages about 12K over the last three months……today it is at 20K.
On July 8th, 2008 at 10:03 pm Ned said

I note that the letter used as much of the basis of the Washington Times article was from 2006. Also, among the comments following the WT article is one which debunks the article and was supposedly (unverified) from someone in the Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate.

As for me I don’t believe the article, however, if it was true, even though the bracelet is supposedly benign unless activated, I believe that it is unlikely that the bracelet can be failsafe, and if accidentally activated on the wrong person could kill them. For those of us with certain kinds of heart conditions, and those wearing pacemakers or defibrillators, such as the Vice President of the United States, if the bracelet would accidentally be activated, we would likely not survive the jolt.

If true, this insane and Orwellian measure could be the end of air travel for those millions with heart conditions, epileptics, and others who would likely not survive an accidental discharge and could not take a chance on wearing anything like this.
On July 9th, 2008 at 5:06 pm Elsewhere said

The Washington Times? Sun Myung Moon’s paper of record? Conspiracy theory central. Home of the Rabid Neocon? Seriously?