“It’s like the Biblical ‘end of days,’” Ben-Zur says. “Computing power will be such that you’ll be able to have all the resources you need in one place. Transportation will be streamlined and things like power and food will be available for the same amount of money anywhere in the world. The result will be that there will be no need for countries to covet the possessions or resources of others – since there will be plenty for everyone, and there will be no need for anyone to invade the space of others. Thus, ‘nation shall not lift sword against nation.’”

It sounds fantastic, the naive vision of a facile optimist. But as chairman of a company that works with Israel’s largest software, hardware, internet, telecommunication, and software companies, Ben-Zur knows first-hand of the marvelous inventions and developments on the drawing boards, and in the workshops of hi-tech companies. And last week, Ben-Zur and Bynet treated thousands of visitors to the annual Bynet Expo, which gathers dozens of Israel’s largest tech companies under one roof to show off their wares and innovations. For those who worked in the computer industry abroad and wistfully remember the computer shows of old – with floor shows, T-shirts, keychains, “drop your business card in the box to win a laptop” contests, and a free lunch, Bynet Expo is as close as you’re going to get in Israel!

But of course, the main attraction at the show was the technology – of which there was much to see, too much for the day allocated to it. While there were numerous lectures and discussions on innovations in many areas of the computer industry, the main attraction, as it always is at such shows, were the booths set up by the biggest tech companies in Israel as well as many from abroad, including Cisco, IBM, Polycom, Audiocodes, Radware, etc.

Among the many things coming to a computer store near you is a better, faster way to do videoconferencing – in 3D! Thanks to a new generation of video transmission perfected by Radvision (a member of the RAD group, along with Bynet), called scalable video coding (SVC), which helps correct video transmission errors and enables superior forward error correction (ie anticipating when there is going to be packet loss and preparing for it) and faster transmission, with fewer bottlenecks. The transmission, coupled with superior 3D rendering software, enables users to have as realistic a video communications experience as possible, even from halfway across the world. And of course, no glasses are necessary.

According to Moshe Machline of Radvision, the system is good enough for the company that it was able to save nearly a million and a half dollars last year by enabling conferees to “meet” by video, instead of flying to meetings. “Eye contact is very important at meetings – you miss a lot the nuances on the screen, and that is one major thing that has held up adoption of videoconferencing. But with 3D videoconferencing, you can get a much better ‘read’ on everyone in the room, just as if you were actually there,” he says. The Radvision solution is sold by Bynet as part of a full videoconferencing solution.

Or take security – an area that unfortunately, in this period when the “end of days” has not quite yet arrived. Along with advances in video surveillance, Bynet partners have developed various technologies that enables the company to offer a unique solution for border patrols, police, and other law enforcement agents: a communication system capable of transmitting live, real-time video, data and voice communications via a single broadband connection, using a fast, secure, private network.

The key to the system is the high-speed wireless network, which allows fast transmission of high-resolution video and audio without any effort required on the part of the driver; the vehicle continues on its rounds or pursues a suspect, and the camera focuses, with an individual in the control center able to enhance the picture to see inside a vehicle even hundreds of meters away. Again, SVC and video correction and enhancement techniques are used, so observers get a full, uninterrupted view of the action. The network enables full transmission of the data with no bottlenecks.

And although the deployment of these technologies would seem to have little to do with the good and bountiful future Ben-Zur sees, the technologies that are being built today for prosaic and workaday needs will be the technology that supplies the future change, he says. “We’re coming into a period where there are going to be unlimited digital resources,” he says. “The bottlenecks that have prevented us from doing what we want are being eliminated, just as the problems of storage and standards were eliminated in earlier periods.

Once we get used to working with these resources, new uses for them will be developed – all of them making life easier,” Ben-Zur says. And the standardization and unlimited bandwidth that are coming won’t be used just for a faster Facebook connection; it will be used for things that really count, like delivering energy to far flung parts of the world, cheaply and safely. When that happens, he says, you’ll be able to stay where you are, and you won’t need to conquer the resources of others to fuel your economy. “When everything is available to everyone for a reasonable price and computers are doing most of the work – you have the building blocks for universal peace,” Ben-Zur says. It’s a vision even the most computer-phobic can embrace.

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So why the cookies? Since the images recorded using the system are likely to be saved and recorded in a facial recognition database, it’s probably a good idea to pre-empt being given the wrong label and get on the cops’ “good side.”

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The Carmiel CCTV system is part of a nationwide effort called “City Without Violence” that is being implemented in cities around the country. Modeled on similar programs in the U.S. and Europe (Britain is considered the current “world champion” in CCTV use), the cameras will enable security officers to keep an eye on crowds, sensitive installations, and high-crime areas and situations, allowing police to dispatch officers.

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The program was actually first implemented in Israel several years ago, but it was deployed in cities in the north and south near the borders, as well as in several high-crime areas. Now the program is set to expand, and will include cameras, sensors, and other technology to be installed in cities in the center of the country – covering schools, public institutions, parks, and even residential neighborhoods. According to the Public Security Ministry, which came up with the idea, the program will make it easier for law enforcement authorities to catch troublemakers, as well as allow authorities “to collect information and real-time evidence needed to prevent violence, criminal activity, and public disorder,” the Ministry said in a statement.

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Well, nobody likes violence or criminal activity (I’m kind of fond of public disorder, though). And I know there are many people who, after reading this, are murmuring the words “police state.” But I’m betting that many of those people haven’t lived in high crime neighborhoods – where the residents are more than happy to have as many police and cameras as they can get. Only criminals would be opposed to figuring out better ways to stop crime, right? Besides, we have precedents; Britain has had surveillance cameras for years, and no one could accuse merry old England of being a police state!

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But there are apparently other problems with the British security surveillance system: According to this article, it doesn’t work. In some areas with lots of cameras, crime solving and prevention is lower than in other areas where there are relatively few cameras. Meaning that there are other factors involved, perhaps such as the skills of the police forces in those areas. Studies of other surveillance systems also show that surveillance systems don’t do a good job of stopping crime.

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Why? Perhaps, the bad guys in those neighborhoods came across sites like “How to Vanish ,” which supplies readers with tips on how to stay out of Big Brother’s way when sending e-mail, uploading or downloading files, keeping your money away from the government’s grasp, etc. – and keeping out of view of public security camera systems, as described here . It’s also possible that London has (or will have) a website like iSee , where you can map out a route that lets you avoid cameras. And, don’t underestimate the power of the cookie; if the good guys can get on the cops’ good side, why can’t the bad guys? Might buy them some time! Note, by the way, that all this information is readily available on-line, so it’s not like I’m giving away any secrets.

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And even though we (hope we can) trust police to use their powers only for truth and justice, using high technology for political purposes is not unheard of. The folks in the cited article are often involved in violent riots, so one could say that although their cause is political, their actions are criminal, so they deserve what they get – but it’s not too hard to imagine a scenario where police use technology to thwart non-violent sit-ins and marches, because “there is a potential for violence.”

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So besides being bad for democracy, camera surveillance systems aren’t very effective as crime-stoppers – or terror stoppers, either, since there’s no reason to believe the system will be any more effective for that kind of wrongdoing than it is for crime. Does that mean we’re fated to be sitting ducks? Not at all; there are all sorts of hi-tech ideas out there that are being developed by companies around the world (not a few of them in Israel) that use advanced technology to snuff out terrorists and criminals, while leaving the rest of us to live our lives unmolested.

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One such company is Israeli startup Genesis EW, which has developed a system to catch malefactors through their communication activity. The company makes an application that checks the profile of cellphone users, comparing it to activities terrorists and criminals typically engage in: for example, calling known criminals/terrorists, making many frequent short phone calls, or suspects moving outside their usual geographic area. If mobile communication activity fits the profile, law enforcement know they need to keep an eye on the subject (who can be located using cellphone or GPS technology).

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“Usually, authorities need to know the phone number of the suspect and/or be able to recognize him or her,” says Pini Birman, one of the founders of Genesis EW. “That often makes trailing suspects difficult. But our system examines a user’s communication profile,” Birman says, meaning that it will continue working even if a suspect removes and replaces a phone’s SIM card, a favorite tactic of crooks and terrorists. “The criminal or terrorist will be unable to confuse the system,” he says, adding that the closer the suspect’s behavior to the profile, the more likely an attack or a criminal act – but if the user veers away from the profile, the system realizes that it was mistaken, and takes the subject off the watch list.

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All of which means that only those truly worthy of security forces’ attention are observed – and that scarce security resources can be used more effectively. Like we said, we’re happy the police are keeping us safe – but, as the old saying goes, “respect them and suspect them.” If there is a better, more effective way to protect us without the use of intrusive cameras, why not use that?

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NOTE: The video below, in Hebrew, shows a violent attack in Ramle recorded by CCTV cameras there. According to the report, police arrived on the scene minutes after the attack and arrested the attackers.

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