A sleek figure clad in a red, white, and blue suit approaches a guarded portal brandishing a javelin. Placing her hand under a high-frequency beam, an ominous voice sounds, "You have been permitted access. Please proceed." It's not the voice of an omniscient Greek god it's the sound of the security machine running the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
For hardcore technophiles, the Atlanta olympiad is a dream come true an amazing showcase for advanced digital technology. But to the rest of us mortals, the games reek of Uncle Sam's security hysteria. Remote-control surveillance cameras will be everywhere, with monitors connected to databases at the Department of Defense and the FBI. Roaming security officials carrying radios that double as cell phones will monitor events on foot. Encrypted data lines will protect the security network from unauthorized intrusion.
But the star of the show will be Sensormatic, a Deerfield Beach, Florida based electronic security company that has constructed a high-tech security system based on biometrics and smartcards. For the honor of providing this system, Sensormatic dished out US$25 million a figure that includes $22 million for an in-kind donation of the most advanced automated security system in the world.
How does it work? As Jane Olympian approaches the security gate that separates the privileged few from the sweaty masses, she passes through an electronic field where antennae read the microchip on her badge. The chip allows access to the gate, and Jane steps through to a reader box identified by the outline of two feet on the floor. When her palm is placed under the reader device, infrared light beams create a digital map of Jane's hand, relaying the data to a central database where it is checked for authenticity.
"Thanks to state-of-the-art electronic systems, these games will be safer and more convenient than ever," says Lyn May, director of communications for the 1996 Atlanta games. "You'll see less, but there will be more."
Watch your back and don't make any false moves this summer in Atlanta the gods will be ruling with iron fists.
SCANS
Big Zeus Is Watching You
