Why are you assuming that Google is only scanning for open WiFi Routers? My understanding is that they are scanning *all* routers, whether they are secure or not (mine is secured - I also turned off SSID broadcasting. Thanks for the condescension, though). Just because your router is "secure" doesn't mean Google can't get information about it, like the SSID and MAC address.

You're actively broadcasting information about your home network and then complaining when somebody listens.

I'm not actively broadcasting anything - my router is. It may seem like a silly distinction, but as far as I'm concerned, all I want is private wireless service in the confines of my own home. The fact that my router is sending out information beyond the bounds of my home is an unfortunate side effect of physics. Your argument is akin to "If you don't want someone to watch you with an infrared camera, stop giving off so much heat!" Sorry, I can't help it. That doesn't mean it's okay for you to set up an IR camera outside my home.

The only information Google ever collect is the information you give them, be it through using their services or buy specifically buying a wireless rooter to broadcast it to them. If you don't like them collecting information stop giving it to them.

I didn't give Google anything. They sent a van to my street and took it, without my consent or permission.

...that as an American, I'm looking to Europe and Australia to actually stand up to Google and stop them from collecting every bit of data they can about me, like actually sending a van outside my house to grab information about my home network.

ThrowAwaySociety and natehoy, you made my day :-)

Great idea - I already did :-)

What about Google Analytics, which spies on you even if you try to avoid actual Google websites studiously?

You're missing the point of his thesis - he's trying to make face detection evasion fashionable, so it's a lot more subtle than wearing a mask.

The idea is more like hipster makeup that would not tip off the police that anything was wrong.

Just so people are aware, this particular Masters program at NYU is part of the art school.

Right - Nintendo doesn't even *pretend* to be an open platform. So they're better, right? :-P

Holy crap - why isn't that man in jail?!?

Think about why a KB was defined as 2^10 bytes. Because it's closest to the "kilo" or 1000. So whoever came up with this definition is just trying to confuse us.

Awesome! Big Brother can't track you yet. Maybe you should buy a GPS to ensure that Google knows where you are at all times.

This is such bullshit. The Jewish movement Irgun was responsible for many attacks on the British and Palestinians, but the mainstream Israeli army was the Haganah, not the Irgun. The Irgun was forcibly shut down by the Israeli government once the State of Israel was declared. Notably, the head of the Irgun, Menachem Begin, was the one who ended up making peace with Egypt under Anwar Sadat.

I disagree - I think that there can be good reasons to only change the bare minimum. If you have a mission-critical, *working* program, reliability and stability are more important than efficiency or elegance. So your nested-if's example looks silly, but at least it works :-)