User:Laurier Rochon/notes/proposalv0.3

what

I would like to design a "system" (see "how") that has 2 main characteristics : the first one is that it is only capable of doing something bad/illegal/reprehensible/dodgy/unorthodox/strange/incomprehensible/senseless/disgusting/etc., and "knows" it very well. The architecture of this "system" would basically allow for a single, unambiguous use of it. And this use, which would assume one of the adjectives mentioned earlier, would repeat itself over and over and over regardless of the "damage" it inflicts. Given the nature of my past work and taking into account my interests, this action could be one of two things for the moment - although in reality, many many more would be possible - (why is discussed further down) For the time being...1) the collection of data packets, following a wireless network attack 2)the collection of personal data (a picture), triggered by an unsuspecting user himself.

So, one single use which reflects the clear intention to cause damage.

The second characteristic of this "system" would be that it gives the appearance of remorse, repent or guilt (if it does really, who knows?). After performing its "bad" action, it would give the impression of perhaps feeling remorse, communicate to the offended party that it is sorry for the damage (perhaps even promise to never do it again), and then carry on repeating itself immediately.

In brief, a system that was designed purposefully to cause harm, to purposefully express remorse/demand to be excused for its actions, and deliberately repeats them in an infinite loop.

how

Since I have evoked the possibility of two discrete functions that my "system" could assume, we could hypothetically imagine two different forms, practically speaking. In both cases, it should be made clear what the system does. Either by revealing in the most transparent way possible the internal mechanics or the system, in such a way that renders the it self-explanatory at a simple glance. If not possible (and this might very well happen), visual cues should be provided that clearly detail the current actions under way. In the example of the picture taken, an observer could simply push a button, triggering the contraption, and without warning have this file uploaded to a public digital space, without asking any permission. This process should be clear and just as unambiguous as the machine itself. In the case of wireless attacks, there should be a clear outline of what my system is currently busy doing - if it's trying to crack a password, running a 4-way handshake against a dictionary or something else.

The second part of the system should also be communicated clearly. I can envision small speakers talking to the person targeted (which doesn't need to be present, there only needs to be somewhere there to witness the act, this ties into the "why"), asking for redemption. Since this sort of process to feel guilt and remorse is typically "human", I could imagine a somewhat "analog" metaphor to translate effectively these intentions. I believe this is where salient storytelling and well-constructed narrative come together in forming a convincing case.

why

Now let's imagine for a moment that this "system" already exists - let's call it "government". I certainly believe that government isn't foul in its entirety, of course I'm only addressing one facet of its policies. In many countries, government has made considerable efforts to keep the Internet as open as possible, to democratize it, to ensure the protection of its users, etc. Inversely, many countries also uses its power and reach to take advantage of technology built by industry to monitor citizens unreasonably. To increase surveillance, to single out dissidents. It does so very knowingly of the implications such actions have, yet carry on with these actions, and this is where most of the problem lies for me.

My beef is primarily with the fact that governments do this, try to pretend they aren't doing it and expect nobody to find out. Things always come around, governments then act like children, and simply start all over again.

Why recreate such a scenario in this fashion then?

• these "stories" about government regulation and surveillance generally occur very slowly and take months or years to unfold (there are generally court orders involved, public hearings, investigations, etc.). By compressing them into an accelerated form could reveal the contradictions in them more easily. It also emphasizes the recurrent nature of this type of attitude.
• from a personal point of view, I'm very much interested in the idea of "code as architecture" (Lessig), and digging into the possibilities of reverse-engineering the systems that we rely on. This includes working with the TCP/IP protocol on a low level, hacking the access points of which we take security for granted and expanding the possibilities of hardware which enables the two previous points.
• lastly, my work usually involves the construction of a narrative, and I would like to continue in this path. I think that as humans, we connect in very singular ways with stories and my interest lies more in these looping narratives than the actual substance they are made of.