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The Pentagon’s top secret research agency is developing some frightening new technologies that could one day be used against average Americans. These technologies sound like something out of a comic book, but they are real and some of them might soon be ready for deployment.
The organization in question is DARPA, or the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, which develops new technologies for the military. In the past DARPA has been responsible for the creation of such game-changing disruptive technologies as the Internet and the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Recent news stories show that DARPA has been very busy in recent years and has come up with some technologies that are absolutely frightening. The terrifying concepts on the DARPA drawing boards include real life terminators, mind control, battle armor for super soldiers, invisibility, and a method for easily monitoring phone conversations.
This technology is no fantasy; some of it is almost here. Unfortunately, neither the media nor Congress seems to be paying attention to these concepts even though they could change the entire world.
Real Life Terminator Being Tested
One of DARPA’s main goals is to create military robots through its Robotics Challenge. The frightening thing is that at least one DARPA contractor has come up with a robot that looks a lot like the Terminator.
The ATLAS robot built by Boston Dynamics is a six foot robot that actually walks like a human being. ATLAS has two hands and two legs and it’s capable of performing a lot of tasks. DARPA’s public relations claim ATLAS is supposed to enter disaster areas that are too dangerous for human rescuers and provide humanitarian relief.
If ATLAS can operate in disaster areas, it can also operate on the battlefield. It isn’t hard to imagine ATLAS being equipped with a gun and sent out to terminate enemies. This would be the next logical step in drone warfare. President Obama is probably already plotting missions for ATLAS.
ATLAS could be dropped into an area and sent to track down enemies. It could also be used as a robot policeman or an infantryman. Unlike a human cop or infantryman, ATLAS would have no qualms about shooting down unarmed civilians or violating the rights of U.S. citizens.
News stories indicate that ATLAS is actually being tested right now. If you want to see ATLAS in action, videos of it are posted all over the web. If not, you’ll probably be seeing it on the news in the near future.
DARPA Develops Mind Control
If killer robots are not scary enough, DARPA is also trying to develop mind control through the Internet. News reports indicate that DARPA conducted an experiment in which the minds of two rats were linked over the Internet. A rat in Brazil was able to control the brain of a rat in the US.
DARPA has spent $26 million developing this so called mind link technology. It isn’t clear what DARPA plans to do with the technology, but one use of it could be for mind control or brainwashing. Other uses could be machines that read minds or monitor individuals’ thoughts.
That’s one capability I don’t think that any government should have. Yet our government is spending our tax dollars to develop it.
Automated Eavesdropping
There is also a DARPA project to develop computer software that will make it far easier to monitor conversations. DARPA is paying computer scientists at the University of Texas to create a program that will quickly convert verbal conversations into easy to read text.
This could enable the government to record thousands of phone conversations and convert the recordings into speech that could easily be analyzed by a search engine. The search engine could go through all the phone calls looking for specific words like “gun,” then send a digital document of the conversation to a federal agent. The agent could read the conversation on his or her computer.
A scientist named Matt Lease will be paid $300,000 to create a program that will automatically transcribe telephone conversations into documents. That way they can be stored and preserved forever. News stories mention that cell phone conversations are among the speech he wants to preserve.
Given Edward Snowden’s revelations about the National Security Agency’s monitoring of phone calls, this is really scary. It sounds as if somebody is trying to develop more effective means of violating our rights. This technology, if it is real, might very well violate the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Invisibility
Scientists that might be associated with DARPA are also developing cloaking devices—technology that can make people and objects invisible. Scientists are working on invisibility at the University of Texas and Duke University, both of which work closely with DARPA.
It isn’t clear how far along these scientists are, but a cloaking device would make it far easier for law enforcement and the military to violate our rights. Soldiers or cops could sneak onto your property without being seen. DARPA hasn’t admitted its involvement in this yet, but it sure sounds like something it would try to do.
Battle Armored Super Soldiers
Another bothersome DARPA concept is something called Warrior Web. This isn’t the Internet; it’s a suit of battle armor for the soldier of the future to wear. Basically, it’s an armored exoskeleton that will make the soldier stronger, tougher, and more resistant to injuries.
Warrior Web obviously has a legitimate place in the hands of soldiers on the battlefield or firefighters, but what happens if it is provided to police? Do we really want to see enhanced policemen who are more capable of violating our rights on our streets?
Just the Tip of the DARPA Iceberg
The truly frightening thing is that these potential monstrosities are just the tip of the iceberg. There are probably dozens of other DARPA projects we don’t know about, some of which might even be closer to reality.
We need to ask ourselves if we really want our government to have some of these capabilities. The government cannot be trusted with some of the technologies it has now. Yet our tax money is being spent to enhance its technologies and increase its ability to spy on us and violate our rights.
Congress needs to take a long hard look at DARPA and its activities and determine what’s really going on there. The ethical and legal implications of some of these technologies are frightening.
