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Comment by zlynx | Hacker News Reader

Build better walls. Don't try to outlaw people "looking at you", no matter what frequency they use.

I find it equally ridiculous to try to outlaw software radio that might listen to "unapproved" radio bands, or listening to clear-text WiFi, baby monitors and cell phones.

It's almost as stupid as people who would want brain implant computers to implement DRM so people can't record and share their own memory of a movie.

Another analogy would be a country of blind people trying to legislate sighted people wearing blindfolds, because all of their privacy fences have huge holes in them.

Technology improves people's abilities. Adapt.

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I think you should read your own comment but slowly to realize how absurd it is to say "Build better walls". You are basically saying the whole world should rebuild the walls because of this totally not needed WiFi standard. Great!

Also I do not agree on "technology improves people's abilities" statement. It is always based on how the technology is used. Famous example. Harnessing nuclear energy. You can use it to blow up cities or to generate power around the world.

One shouldn't develop technology for advancement's sake. Every new technology should be given thorough thought and analysis into it on why is it needed? and are the negatives outweigh the positives? or vice versa? and so on.

problem are law can not stop egrigous bad actor, so necesary for to proof against such persons with better wall. we "should" not having to do this but we are having to if we are caring for privacy.

There are a lot of walls to upgrade then, who should pay for that?

Standing in someone's garden, peering through their window is dealt with via legislation.

Since the invention of video recording devices, rather than having everyone upgrade their windows, legislation was reinterpreted and updated to govern the recording of people in private places vs public places.

It doesn't seem unreasonable for the same to be done to keep up with other forms of technology.

> Build better walls. Don't try to outlaw people "looking at you", no matter what frequency they use.

It's just not possible to make a wall that can't be seen through, at least without making them tens of meters thick, even using high density concrete, tungsten, or uranium.

Muons aren't photons, but cosmic muon tomography has been used to image the Great Pyramid of Giza and also several mountains. Exposure times for cosmic muon tomography are very long, but with enough exposure time, correlating 5-minute blocks across days, someone could work out mean density throughout your house and make low-res 3D video of your daily routine, even with 1 meter thick walls of reactor-grade high-density concrete with sheet steel cladding.

> Build better walls.

Rebuilding all houses in the world because someone creates a totally superfluous gadget. Seems reasonable.

I dunno - I could see a huge market for wallpaper with embedded wire mesh in it :)

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