Big Brother Gets A Blimp
from the well,-how-else-would-he-travel? dept
The blimp is commonly associated with sporting events, as the sponsored floating vehicle often gives the TV audience sky high shots of a sporting venue. However, it appears that some government officials believe that blimps may be the next crime fighting tool. Apparently, American officials are in Trinidad & Tobago to carry out tests of a $40 million crime fighting blimp that can supposedly listen in on mobile phone calls. It's not at all clear how this would actually work. Also, the report claims that security has been tightened on the blimp after someone tried to take a photo of it. Of course... it's a blimp. Doesn't it seem likely that people will be able to see it from quite some distance? In fact, another article on the subject (which claims such blimps are in more common usage around the world already) includes a photo of the blimp as well. It looks like pretty standard blimp. It seems like whatever governments are using such blimps would actually have a much better chance of making it less noticeable by slapping a Goodyear or a MetLife logo on the side.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Provocative Blimps
I have seen free-flying blimps over the Mexican border used by the border patrol, though. When I get out of school and get a real job again, I might buy a RC blimp, the 8-foot model, for a few thou.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Provocative Blimps
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
around for awhile
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Army Blimp testing over Washington DC
[ link to this | view in chronology ]