Elahi

　　These experiences have led me to voluntarily develop a network device built upon a modified/hacked mobile phone which in fact opens just about every aspect of my life to the public. Throughout the FBI investigation, I have actively decided to cooperate with them to a point of aggressive compliance to where the current work now borders on a collaboration with them, albeit unauthorized. This network device generates a database of imagery and locative information that combined with a web-enabled companion tracks me and my points of transit live. Since the development of this device, my FBI agent (along with anyone with access to the web) has been able to look me up online to track me. Currently, the device is in a semi-autonomous stage allowing uploads of images tagged with exact GPS coordinates of where the original image was shot to my server which then sends the GPS tag to Google which returns an aerial surveillance image of my exact location. My server then compiles this map with my uploaded image and thumbnails of the used images into a web based file which is then accessed through any computer with net access.

　　I feel that the level of transparency and the volunteering of information is crucial in the success of this project. I feel that by publicly disclosing every bit of personal information about me attempts to subvert the methodology that is used by intelligence agencies where the main commodity is secrecy and restricted access to information. In this work, I wish to not only devalue the currency of the FBI by disclosing the information that is held secret in my file, but also make every detail about myself completely transparent to the public to the point where it clearly demonstrates how invasive the new Homeland Security and Patriot Act laws in the United States are. Using the powers of the web and new technologies originally intended for military use and their alternate uses for surveillance, I hope to bring to light the political ramifications of such a project and its repercussions on an individual level, using myself as subject.

　　Hasan Elahi

　　1972: Born in Rangpur, Bangladesh

　　Currently lives and works in USA