The National Security Agency (NSA) spying on our every movement has been much in the news lately, and now I can report that LED light fixtures are emerging on the list of potentially snooping, networked things.
 
Specifically, the New York Times reports that the clean, bright light of newly installed LED fixtures illuminating Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport, in New Jersey, are part of a new wireless network that’s watching visitors.
 
The 171 LED fixtures are apparently the backbone of a system that feeds data into software that can spot long lines, read license plates, identify suspicious activity and alert the appropriate staff.
 
Now, these amazing lights are also being used to track passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport.
 
The New York Times reports that the new light fixtures are part of a new wireless network that collects and feeds data into software that can spot long lines, recognize license plates and even identify suspicious activity, sending alerts to the appropriate staff.
 
The project is still in its early stages, but executives with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, are already talking about expanding it to other terminals and buildings. Remember the rubbish bins of London set to snoop on innocent citizens? Of course, the UK is the country that boasts one CCTV surveillance camera for every 11 people.
 
Privacy advocates point out that the installation of these security systems raises the specter of technology racing ahead of the ability to harness it, running risks of invading privacy and mismanaging information.