I cannot possibly see how this could end badly. “This” being a “smart meter” that gets installed on suspected “water wasters” (now there’s a phrase that didn’t take long to spring up, huh?) in – for now – Long Beach, California. Once installed, it tracks for illegal water use – I cannot believe that I had to write that phrase in reference to an American state – and if it sees some it then finks out the treacherous kulak to the water department. All of this is done via the ‘cloud,’ because apparently this story is designed to be extra-painful to digital libertarians*.

Via Weasel Zippers and @BlissTabitha – and just let me give you three ways that this will, indeed, end badly.

1. God help you if you’re a Californian business owner who has an enemy or business rival who will happily fink you out to the water squad.
2. God help you if the smart meter isn’t actually all that smart. Because, hey, software never malfunctions, right?
3. God may not help you if 1. or 2. occur, but a certain amount of unmarked tens and twenties tossed the water squad inspector’s way might.  Aye, it just might.

That last point is, by the way, the one that’s really dangerous to the Republic, although the first point can give it a run for its money. Or, sure, possibly even surpass it.  The point here is that this is a corruption scandal just waiting to happen – and, knowing California’s horrible luck these days, it’s a corruption scandal that will happen.

Well, that’s what you get for electing grasshoppers, instead of ants.  Maybe the next generation will have more sense…

Image created via Shutterstock.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

*Actual digital libertarians, that is.  Infosocialists will probably love this, up to the point where they find out that the State People’s Glorious Revolutionary Water Directorate has been monitoring their shower feed.