Open Source Physical Security: Can We Have Both Privacy and Safety?

In today’s post-9/11 world, it is increasingly assumed that security from terrorism and other attacks will require the loss of privacy by individuals and private organizations. The two main pathways advocated to date are

1. top-down surveillance by governments (Surveillance State) or
2. bottom-up sousveillance — where sousveillance means “watching from below” — with comprehensive, ubiquitous data collection and publication for all to view (Transparent Society).

There may be a third way: citizen-controlled, privacy-oriented, verifiably limited open source security devices and procedures focused on obtaining and sharing the minimal data required for communities to satisfy the reasonable concerns of their neighbors regarding the possible presence of specific weapons able to affect them directly.

The goal is to use decentralized, open source approaches to address legitimate security concerns without impacting personal privacy in other areas. The project does not require government participation.