From:    Melvin Gladstone
To:      All                                    Msg #63, Aug-04-93 02:01PM
Subject: WARNING!!!  Big Brother is HERE!!!!

Organization: Interdisciplinary Studies of Intelligent Systems
From: mel@maddog.ece.nd.edu (Melvin Gladstone)
Message-ID: <1993Aug4.220109.13997@news.nd.edu>
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic,alt.privacy,alt.conspiracy

In an effort to gain access to the homes of millions of Americans,
the FBI, CIA, and NSA have collaborated on a scheme which will
finally bring to fruition George Orwell's nightmare scenario.

American citizens will be the unwitting accomplices in this plan
as they purchase new televisions and bring them into their
livingrooms and *bedrooms*.  I'm speaking of the CC decoders that
have secretly been mandated by law.  These decoders supposedly
provide captions to TV shows for the hearing impaired, but in
fact they are also rebroadcasters which will allow the gov.
to spy on anyone they want.

The television already comes with everything necessary to be
a spying apparatus.  Speakers are essentially no different than
microphones and therefore can be used to pick up sounds in the
room.  The infrared eye which detects the remote control
signal also receives an infrared picture of the room, especially
detecting heat sources like people.  Thus, all that is needed is
a way of gathering this information and relaying it to the government.
The little understood "Decoder" is the solution.

The congress has recently passed a Law (in virtual secrecy)
that requires all new TV's to have the "Decoder."  This is
claimed to be for the benefit of deaf people but that is
obviously a smoke screen.

How we know the congressional law mandating the "Decoder" is not
for the deaf:
      1) Legitimate CC decoders are already available for TV's.
      2) The law doesn't cover other things, like telephones,
         which are obviously in the same situation w.r.t. the deaf.
      3) There is no law requiring that shows even be broadcast with
           closed captions, only that the TV have the "Decoder".

Clearly we see that there is no real justification for mandating
decoders other than for gathering intelligence.

How to deal with the decoder:  simply removing the decoder will not
be an option because it will undoubtedly be integrated in such a way
that the television will not function without it.  Also, if you open
the TV to get at it, you will void the warrenty and then when you
get it fixed, they will just replace the "Decoder" without telling.

The best way to avoid the "Decoder" is to avoid it by not buying any
new TV's.  This will be made difficult by the predictable introduc-
tion of High Definition Television soon after the "Decoders" are
on line.  In this way you will be forced to buy a new TV because the
old one will not get HDTV.  When HDTV is made a standard by the govern-
ment, the old style sugnal will not be allowed to be broadcast on the
grounds that it interferes with the HDTV.  This is all to force people
to buy new TV's with the "Decoder".

When you find yourself with a TV equipped with the "Decoder" there
are several things you can do to protect yourself.  First, don't
put the TV in your bedroom, this is where the government is most
interested in spying.  When not watching, push the antennas all the
way in or disconnected the cable.  Unplugging the TV will not help
because the "Decoder" will use passive broadcasting to continue
sending its signal.  Also turn the volume down when not watching.
When you watch the TV, place a candle or other heat source to confuse
the infrared EYE.  Don't say anything secret or get undressed near
the TV.  Don't be seen smoking near the TV.

I hope this post is not censored before reaching you because this
is very important to us all.  Warn you families.  I don't know
how much longer I will be allowed to keep my account afetr this.
Please do not keep copies of this article in your files unless you
delete the header.