The TAG Challenge: $5k Global Manhunt Using Social Media 53
An anonymous reader writes "CNET just published an article about a new challenge to photograph 5 target individuals in 5 different cities on March 31st. The TAG challenge will pay the winner $5k. Target mobility means this will be much harder than the DARPA Red Balloon Challenge which was won by MIT. From the article: 'On March 31, mug shots of five "suspects" will be published, and it'll be game on in a global hunt for "jewel thieves" in Bratislava, Slovakia; Stockholm; London; Washington, D.C.; and New York City, each of whom will spend 12 hours that day in public areas. The first team to upload photographs of each of the five by noon eastern time on April 1 will win the competition--and with it, a ton of international glory.'"
Neat. (Score:2)
It's also worth pointing out that the DARPA challenge was done strictly in the states, since this one spans several countries.
I'll be curious to see how this turns out.
$5k + 15mins of fame (Score:1)
Armies of look-alikes and false positives (Score:5, Funny)
Now would someone, or a lot of someones, purposely disguise themselves to look like the targets individuals in the fives cities? And romp around all day in public? Nah, couldn't happen.
The volume of false positives will be amusing at least.
"There he is! Right next to Elvis, flipping burgers! With Angelina Jolie's leg!"
It just may be possible (Score:2)
Real fugitives... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is possibly useful for finding the average citizen.
Oh, I see where they're going with this now...
Re:Real fugitives... (Score:5, Insightful)
There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted and you create a nation of law-breakers -- and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system. - Ayn Rand
Note: I don't agree with most of Ms. Rand's sentiments, but this is proving increasingly true.
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Note: I don't agree with most of Ms. Rand's sentiments, but this is proving increasingly true.
She was wrong on a number of things, but she occasionally knocked one out of the park. This statement by her mirrors current reality closely enough to actually be a little disturbing.
You know what they say... A broken clock is right as long as you can get someone to pay you for it. Or wait, I think I have my Ayn Rand maxims mixed up here. A high priced clock is right as long as someone else saw you pay good money for it? Oh what was it...
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twat about them on twitter
Oh dear... so I guess it's OK if you drug your mother through town and then twat about it for the whole world to hear.
US English is a strange beast.
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blew my mind (Score:2)
i would hate to point out to ayn rand that capitalist systems do this just as well as communist systems.
Re:Real fugitives... (Score:5, Funny)
are capable of wearing disguises
Have them wear hoodies, what could possibly go wrong?
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I guess you didn't hear about the kid in Florida walking home that was shot to death? Look up Trayvon Martin.
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Whoosh....
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geez...let them first attempt a relaxed version of the problem space before going for the uber hard version of the problem space. Anyways, the goal here is more about exploring the business model and social models that arise from successful team efforts...not the ability of a lone spotter to find a fugitive in a crowd.
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Twitter for Intelligence agencies.
@CIA Questioned 3 parties of interest on possible strike against California reservoirs. Members of fringe militia group Yeehaw4Christ
@MI6 Moved against radical Islamist splinter cell in London. Terminated 3 hostiles. 2 in custody.
@CSIS Massive poop today. Prime Minister asked for Froot Loops for breakfast. Sent Bob, cutting our manpower in half.
the CIA --did know--. read Shadow Factory (Score:2)
by James Bamford, then go watch the PBS Frontline special ("Spy Factory") online, it's free.
there are interviews with an FBI agent "on loan" to CIA working in CIA's Alec Station, who knew that al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi (Nawaf) had US Visas. He tried to tell FBI HQ, and the CIA told him not to. Ordered him not to.
you are correct to say that it 'doesnt end up where it needs to go'... but WHY didn't it end up where it needed to go?
"It's ultimately a social networking problem"
that contradicts the evidence from th
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From what I've heard (Score:3)
The one in London should be easy. You won't even need to use your own camera, given that they're ubiquitous already.
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The one in London should be easy. You won't even need to use your own camera, given that they're ubiquitous already.
That's assuming you're a government official (or you're the family member of one) who has ready access to those feeds.
In any case, it won't be a problem snapping any of those pictures given that those people actually want to be seen. This is after all, a cheap $5,000 publicity stunt, not an actual serious scientific investigation.
Not worth it (Score:3)
At $5K, it's not worth it to even make an attempt unless you're able to leverage teams of people already in those locations and are in it for the glory. Plus, once you consider how large some of these cities are, you'll need something more than just your team on the ground doing the work. You'll either need some form of an automated or crowd-sourced system. If you're doing the latter, that means either hoping you can rope in hundreds or thousands of volunteers, or else posting ads in major media with bounties for information that leads to the targets. Either way, the cost far exceeds the reward.
Re:able to leverage teams of people (Score:4, Funny)
"Dear RIAA. Each of these people shared a Copyrighted Song."
(Twelve minutes later)
"Here are their GPS coordinates and matching photos. Here is your $5,000 fee for bringing this to our legal department's attention."
April 1st? (Score:2)
Sooooo the April Fool's Day joke is that there's not $5k, right?
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April.... (Score:5, Funny)
>The first team to upload photographs of each of the five by noon eastern time on April 1 will win the competition--and with it, a ton of international glory...
Yep. They'll forever be known as the April Fools!
Lame. (Score:2)
What kind of DARPA target challenge doesn't place targets in Asia and the Middle-East?
Eastern Europe? Boooooring!
facebook app? (Score:2)
Will we soon have a Facebook app for this?
Each morning when you log in to Facebook, you will see wanted fugitives in your area.
If you spot them, report it, and prize money will filter down to you.
Creepy.
Combine this with social engineering? (Score:1)
THAT would be very impressive.
April Fool's (Score:2)
"The first team to upload photographs of each of the five by noon eastern time on April 1 will win the competition"
I bet they've all got red and white striped shirts and big ol' glasses and have names that are "Waldo".
Not much of a point to it (Score:2)
I understand this challenge was invented by volunteers and not some official agency based on tax money, right? Hopefully it's just for fun, because I don't really understand the purpose of it.
AFAIK already in the 80ies spy satellites were good enough to read newspapers. Even if that's not accurate I'd imagine with the process that technology has made it should be possible to automatically spot someone in real-time out of millions of people, as long as the sky is clear enough and the person occasionally look
i ain't a marchin' anymore (Score:2)
Oh I marched to the battle of New Orleans
At the end of the early British war
The young land started growing
The young blood started flowing
But I ain't marchin' anymore
For I've killed my share of Indians
In a thousand different fights
I was there at the Little Big Horn
I heard many men lying I saw many more dying
But I ain't marchin' anymore
chorus)
It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall