Read Online The Origin Point: A Future Tech Cyber Novella by Case Lane - Free Book Online

distributed
worldwide. Law enforcement could interpret a missing individual to
be a victim, or a suspect who may have disappeared into a
clandestine life. If he suddenly re-appeared without explanation,
his actions would almost certainly be considered suspicious.
    On these scenarios, the Justice Department
had more to say. All consumer-facing services would have to rewrite
their disclaimers to provide transparency about third party uses of
the consumer's data. Supporters warned such revelations would
undoubtedly lead to a proliferation of service providers who would
guarantee privacy for a premium price. Here the government would
have a class war challenge. If wealthy individuals were able to buy
their way out of COSA, not only would law enforcement miss
potential suspects, but also the middle class and below could
launch a revolt. Many cautions were required to make the system
palpable to the widest range of people. The government would need
to ensure everyone had a profile, regardless of wealth. But to
achieve maximum utilization, the government would have to implement
standard opt-in protocols before the wealthy could determine how to
avoid being covered.
    Apex laughed at their naivety. Little did
the official researchers know how far behind the government had
already fallen on this point. People with money were the primary
backers of independent technologists with plans to counteract
government initiatives aimed at monitoring online activity. But
reading on, she understood how COSA intended to involucrate
everyone through the Internet and mobile phones. Utilizing a
publically available service would automatically create a profile
for anyone not already registered in COSA. The data collected
through random use would be transformed into permanent files about
the individual user. 'To avoid this outcome, the rich will have to
create their own internet too,' Apex thought. 'More work for
me.'
    Continuing to read the blueprint for a
multi-year research and development strategy, Apex realized COSA
would be slowly created by interlocking existing hardware into one
controlled system. The server farms currently established in
isolated corners near rushing rivers or in hidden valleys in quiet
towns would be brought together under COSA's control. The Commerce
department's contribution to the report warned the government would
need to provide an incentive to businesses to integrate with the
system, but not legislation, which would be too public and viewed
as draconian. Instead, the department suggested the output of the
dedicated research required to create the system should be shared
with businesses from the beginning. The government could allow
citizen profiles to be accessible by public companies to use for
advertising and tailoring products directly to people based on the
details collected about their actual habits. The incentive to
business would be the ability to know the exact products and
services the populace is purchasing, how much they are spending,
and the analysis of trends to predict future consumer activity
based on searches and queries. The government would ensure the
research included extensive inquiry protocols for consumer-facing
industries. In exchange, industry would be expected to cooperate by
attaching their server infrastructure to the domestic, and
eventually international system. Law enforcement predicted that as
the system proved its value by catching terrorists and reducing
crime at home, more businesses would be incentivized to voluntarily
link to the process.
    'What a beautiful plan,' Apex sarcastically
concluded as she nearly slammed down her computer screen. 'Too bad,
it's doomed.' In the near past, when governments sought to mobilize
against their own citizens, the rulers would call up a physical
army and order the soldiers to attack the people in the name of the
particular stand being taken. But for this mobilization, the people
would be able to fight back with their own army, one they did not
recruit