Swarm Technology

Used at first for instantaneous meetings, it has the potential to organize large groups using emails, blogs and text messaging to attain targeted aims. Combined with SocialEngineering corporations could use it to influence market behaviour.

Such a large-scale technology should have serious legal and regulatory constraints, especially if used in a collusionary fashion.

As an example:

  1. An event is occurs with reference to an individual with security implications
  1. The building in which the individual resides has construction planned for the drive-in security kiosk at the same time
  1. The security guards are moved to the building entrance of the building for that day
  1. Mail is delivered to the individual including a note to pick up a package at Security, however because of the construction he/she is directed to go to the management office
  1. A meeting is in session in the management office around the time they usually check the mail, requiring the unknown package to be left overnight with further security implications

Because of the decentralized aspect the other individuals involved may not know the effect of the overall system on the target person or persons, and makes it difficult to pinpoint intent, assuming there is any. However the effect is like a laser, though the medium is not light.

An amusing (yet scary) example of this is Bruce Sterling's story "Maneki Neko".