IN THE MAGAZINE

FOLLOW THE GPS, ÉSE

The Transborder Immigrant Tool Helps Mexicans Cross Over Safely

INTERVIEW BY ALEX DUNBAR

The Transborder Immigrant Tool in action. It’s not much to look at, but it has the power to safely guide migrant workers from Mexico to the US and back. (Photo by Ricardo Dominguez)

Over the past two decades, Ricardo Dominguez has been utilizing electronics and the internet to piss off just about every high-level administrative authority in the US. In the late 90s, his performance-art-cum-activist organization the Electronic Disturbance Theater (EDT) set up a participatory website-jamming network called the FloodNet system, which allowed anyone with an internet connection to gum up the official sites of the US Border Patrol, White House, G8, Mexican embassy, and others, rendering them inaccessible. The Department of Justice retaliated with an electronic attack on the EDT that aimed to destabilize the group and interrupt their online meddling. As any conspiracy wonk can tell you, it’s illegal for the government to use military force against civilians without declaring martial law; that’s the job of cops and FBI agents.

Dominguez, a Zapatista sympathizer and close friend of Subcomandante Marcos, claims the various forms of online mischief conducted by the EDT were experiments in electronic civil disobedience rather than true acts of sabotage. Their work led to massive virtual and physical sit-ins protesting the Mexican government between ’98 and ’99, attracting more than 100,000 participants. But his current project—the Transborder Immigrant Tool—is poised to enrage a much broader spectrum of the North American populace. By augmenting a low-cost Motorola phone with GPS and a battery of applications, Dominguez’s goal is to help illegal immigrants complete safe border crossings without being sent back by the Border Patrol or getting shot in the face by American “patriots.”

The primary goal of the Transborder Immigrant Tool is to increase safety during border crossing by directing heavy-footed immigrants to safe routes, shelter, food, water, and friendly sympathizers. With the recent surge in militia membership and the Obama administration’s announcement that they will be reducing the number of Border Patrol agents next year, it looks like we’re getting ready to witness a showdown for the ages. And Dominguez couldn’t be happier about the level of shit he is about to seriously disturb.

Vice: How did you first become involved in electronic civil disobedience?
Ricardo Dominguez: In the 80s I was a member of something called the Critical Art Ensemble. We wrote a series of books published in the 90s that speculated on what the future, and computers especially, might bring. Our core speculations were that we would see the emergence of three different arcs of capitalism in the 90s: digital capitalism, genetic capitalism or clone capitalism, and particle capitalism or nano-driven technology. We decided we would speculate not only on the artistic aspect of these emerging capitalisms but also on how we could intervene as artist-activists into each of these areas. We developed the idea of electronic civil disobedience as a way to mediate the emergence of digital capitalism. Some Critical Art Ensemble members have even been arrested for their work. One in particular, Steve Kurtz, was brought before a grand jury in 2004. Homeland Security considered his use of nonpathogenic bacteria in certain museum installations a bioterrorist threat.

Sounds grim.
But good has come out of it too. In 2000 I was invited to become a principal investigator at Calit2 (California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology) at the University of California in San Diego, and I’ve been there ever since.

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Comments

Anonymous, on Nov 19, 2009 wrote: Actually isn’t it a felony to aid and abet the illegal crossing of our borders?
Anonymous, on Nov 17, 2009 wrote: When are you going to figure a way to keep me from having to pay for your civil disobediance, the people you are hurting by supporting illegal’s in this country are us working slobs that have no recourse when selfish, and ignorant children like you play your childish games.
	Taylor, on Nov 16, 2009 wrote: Why don’t some of you crybabies here log in and comment from a real account? I’m guessing because it’s the same few people coming back over and over again leaving such idiotic comments.
	duck duck goose, on Nov 16, 2009 wrote: treason? ha. did you read the article? the federal government broke the law here, not him.
	duck duck goose, on Nov 16, 2009 wrote: you same people would probably be the ones to have these "illegals" for nannies if you were rich.
	lazy eyez killa, on Nov 16, 2009 wrote: "How come if I don’t want Illegals crossing my border I’m a racist? Couldn’t it be just about the fact that when I came here I had to study, take a test, pass said test, learn English, get a job, pay taxes and NOT use welfare? Why does it have to be a racist thing?" why do i get the distinct feeling that you are not an immigrant at all? hmm... maybe because i have never heard any immigrant wish it harder for others to get here.
	daddybourbon, on Nov 16, 2009 wrote: i say send the mexicans over
Anonymous, on Nov 15, 2009 wrote: chris head rules
Anonymous, on Nov 15, 2009 wrote: "Dominguez’s goal is to help illegal immigrants complete safe border crossings without being sent back by the Border Patrol or getting shot in the face by American “patriots.”" Has an illegal immigrant ever been shot "in the face" (or anywhere else, for that matter) by a "patriot"? I’m assuming this means minuteman or voluntary border watcher. Just asking.
Anonymous, on Nov 15, 2009 wrote: Regardless of how you feel about illegal immigration in general, or the Mexican people specifically - are we not in GENERAL agreement that dead people = bad and helping prevent them from dying in any/some small way = good? *sits back, puts feet up, waits for trolls to comment that "they deserve it", "hanging is too good for them" and "the only good Mexican immigrant is a dead one"....*
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: As a Mexican I am against illegal immigration, but insulting my country because of some criminals is just not fair, yes we have dangerous places, yes we have stupid politicians, but I can assure you that the majority of us are hard workers, educated and united people. My comment was directed to those who generalize and form a judgement because of what they see in the media. Did you know that Mexico is the country with most Americans after USA?
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: How come if I don’t want Illegals crossing my border I’m a racist? Couldn’t it be just about the fact that when I came here I had to study, take a test, pass said test, learn English, get a job, pay taxes and NOT use welfare? Why does it have to be a racist thing?
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: Probably an app to teach every racist and ignorant American that dirty, shameful and stupid mexicans are a minority.
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: Seems like this "Ricardo Dominguez" character really like Mexico and Mexicans. How come he doesn’t live there instead of the USA? Oh yeah.... who in their right mind would want to live in such a shit hole...
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: This app is great! I work for the US Border Patrol and it’d be very helpful for us. We could use it to find where the aliens are going everyday. It would make our jobs a lot easier. Thank you Ricardo and keep up the good work! Next please program an app that would show the areas in the desert where the highest concentrations of trash, clothes, baby diapers, tuna cans, water bottles jackets, shoes etc. are because we could really use some help cleaning up after all those illegals. For some reason none of the "humanitarian" liberals like yourself ever seem to want to help with that.
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: Seems like one could hack it to send them right to the bus back to Juarez. If our government was competent.
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: Maybe an app to teach them how to use a flush toilet. That would be appreciated by many of the low wage workers they are displacing.
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: Maybe an app that will help stop the illegals from committing DUI murders daily?
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: Is there an app that will screen for communicable disease, immunize them against becoming a petri dish for future contagions and maybe screen out the hard core gangster illegal aliens?
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: This isn’t revolutionary or progressive. This is treason. These Mexicans are eating America alive, starting with California.
Anonymous, on Nov 14, 2009 wrote: Fantastic. The concept of dying for a minimum wage job because either the desert get you or some bigot with a gun shoots you is truly awful. It’s about time we humans started being a little nicer to each other, this is a great start.
Anonymous, on Nov 13, 2009 wrote: the thinking behind it is that they are coming here anyway to work in shit american jobs, so they shouldn’t have to die in the desert...besides they wouldn’t be coming if americans weren’t hiring them
Anonymous, on Nov 13, 2009 wrote: I hope this tool is also planning on paying out of own pocket for the health care and public funds needed to support all the illegal immigrants.. what a utter tool. At what point does subverting national law for the purpose of helping people with no medical or criminal background check come into our country and spend tax payer money for their personal gain come across as a good idea to someone?
Anonymous, on Nov 13, 2009 wrote: The Transborder Immigrant Tool, a.k.a. "The TIT"?
Anonymous, on Nov 12, 2009 wrote: so did you guys wait around all day until a border patrol rolled up?
Anonymous, on Nov 12, 2009 wrote: Californians love anagrams.
	enstigator, on Nov 12, 2009 wrote: want to illegally enter america? there’s an app for that.
Anonymous, on Nov 12, 2009 wrote: Motorola should bank on this and start a million dollar campaign in Mexico right now.
	Mason, on Nov 12, 2009 wrote: Here’s hoping the Minute men don’t up the ante by hiring Man Tracker.
	smokey robinson crusoe, on Nov 12, 2009 wrote: i haven’t been this inspired since i watched operation dumbo drop. this guy truly deserves a nobel prize.
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