DARPA Cancels LifeLog

Source: darpa.mil

Prior to FB, Darpa was working on a project called LifeLog. This project was an effort to build a database tracking a person's entire existence. Darpa is the defense department's research arm with a mission to make technological breakthroughs for the purpose of national security.

The government seems to be under the belief that the only way to absolutely secure a nation is to have access to all the information which is transmitted among their citizens. It's premise probably holds some truth as if one knows all the thoughts of a person, one could probably predict how a person would act.

LifeLog aimed to gather data of individuals and compile it in a single data base so it could be accessed. The data would encompass everything an individual says, sees and does; phone calls made; TV shows watched; magazines read; plane tickets bought; and emails sent and received. With this data a complete profile of an individual could be developed.

To accomplish this feat by covert methods would be seen as the government over reaching their authority. It would be more acceptable if the public at large willingly supplied intimate details of their habits, viewing preferences, friends and family ties. By offering the general public a format where they could easily connect with friends and family to keep them up to date on all their activities would certainly fill the bill.

Is it a coincident that shortly after LifeLog was cancelled, along comes FB?

[–]EpicJourneyMan[S] 13 points 6 days ago
It turns out the project was cancelled the month before the article - but the article was published the same day Facebook launched.
Source: reddit.com