August 31, 2011:
Tyrants and dictators worldwide are dismayed to discover that even shutting down cell phone networks does not stop cell phones from undermining their police state control. The problem is that most cell phones have cameras that record pictures and, more frequently, video with sound. With the right equipment (widely available) these pictures and videos can be transferred to a USB memory stick, which then can be smuggled out and put on the Internet. Thus shutting down the cell phone networks slows down the spread of embarrassing evidence of police state misbehavior, but does not stop it. This has already happened in Libya and Syria, and does have an enormous impact. Tyrants are still scrambling for a solution to this new threat.