'Spy' software curses workers

Some people hate Microsoft; some love the company. But one cannot dispute the fact that by establishing an accepted worldwide standard for office and home computers, the house that Gates built has created more wealth for more people than any other company in history.

Having said that, I was appalled to read in the London Times that Microsoft is working on a truly frightening program that will try to reach its slimy tentacles into every part of our workspace and even our bodies. The Times, as quoted in January 2008, reported that this product in development is called "Spy," and the name should give us a clue as to its purpose.

"Spy" links workers to their PCs using wireless sensors so that employees' metabolism and other body functions can be monitored. A small camera detects facial expressions. Other human factors that can be measured include heart rate, brain-wave patterns, respiration and body temperature. Up close and personal. Apparently, this information can tip off some nasty little drone in a remote location that said employee is experiencing stress, so the corporation can "provide assistance accordingly." If the Transportation Safety Administration had this software, we wouldn't have to scan the shoes of 16-year-old girls going through the airport. However, intrusive software such as "Spy" would invade worker privacy to a degree heretofore unimaginable.

You probably won't see any announcements about this on the Microsoft Web page, at least not yet. The Times only found out about it because the proposed software turned up in a list of patent applications the software giant had filed. As confirmed by the U.S. patent office, "Spy" is real, and the patent could be granted within a year.

When asked to comment, Microsoft refused, and according to the Times stated, "We have over 7,000 patents worldwide, and we are proud of the quality of these patents and the innovations they represent. As a general practice, we do not typically comment on pending patent applications because claims made in the application may be modified through the approval process." Right.

Naturally, the possibility of such an invasion of privacy set off alarms with civil libertarians, as well it should. Visit Slashdot.org or Blorge.com, and read what people have to say about it. Would you have a problem if your boss were aware of your every response for the entire period you were in the office? Exactly where does Microsoft go from here? How about a Webcam following you into the bathroom?

Microsoft Spy Report, February 15, 2009: "Our records show employee #2488967 spent more than five minutes in the bathroom on March 8 and again on March 10. This loss of productivity is outside of our established norms. Based on our observation, we recommend more fiber in his diet."

According to the BBC, the average citizen in the United Kingdom is now caught on some kind of surveillance camera 300 times a day. Soon, we may have "Spy" covering people in the workplace. The rationale is that all the cameras help prevent crime and identify bad guys. Well perhaps they do, but at what price? The next step will be voluntary home video monitoring, and I'll bet a number of people are just apathetic enough to let it happen.

In 1948, British author George Orwell painted a grim view of the future in a book called "1984." The hapless hero, Winston Smith, is subjected to all manner of spying and eventually torture by the state under the dark shadow of a character named "Big Brother." In this prescient tale, TV monitors in each home watch the occupants instead of vice versa. Every movement is tracked, and even one's most personal thoughts are known. It is a bleak world.