LITTLE SNIPPER
WIRELESS ANTI-SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM, 2014
JULIAN OLIVER (NZ)
Cyborg Unplug hits wireless surveillance devices where it hurts: network connectivity. Little Snipper is a ‘plug to unplug’ device made by Cyborg Unplug. It sniffs the air for wireless signatures from unwanted devices, sending an alert to a smartphone when detected. Should the target device connect to a network the user has chosen to defend, Little Snipper will immediately disconnect them, stopping them from streaming video, audio and data to the Internet.
Convenient and easy to use, Little Snipper just needs to be plugged into an electrical socket and connected to a laptop or smartphone. In just a few screens, users can select which classes of device they’d like to block and the networks they’d like to protect. Little Snipper can be kept up-todate on the latest threats by plugging it into a router: each night it will anonymously and securely check for updated lists of wireless surveillance devices as they enter the market.
BIO:
Julian Oliver is a New Zealander, critical engineer and artist based in Berlin. Julian’s work often focuses on software art, data forensics, creative hacking, computer networking, counter-surveillance, augmented reality, virtual architecture, video game development, and information visualisation, amongst other things. His work and lectures have been presented at many museums, galleries, international electronic-art events and conferences, including Tate Modern in London, Transmediale in Berlin, Chaos Computer Congress, Ars Electronica in Austria, and the Japan Media Arts Festival. Julian has received several awards, most notably the distinguished Golden Nica at Prix Ars Electronica 2011 for the project Newstweek (with Daniil Vasiliev).