New Clothing Line Blocks Phone-Tracking, Surveillance

Privacy-wear for the modern age

George Orwell is often cited for the prophetic vision of a surveillance society he painted in his famous novel, 1984. But one thing the celebrated author didn't predict was Big Brother's impact on fashion.

Enter Adam Harvey.

In a move that demonstrates that drones, facial recognition technology, and cellphone snooping are starting to affect the broader culture, the New York-based artist has designed a line of high-tech garments made with sophisticated fabrics that can block signals and thwart cameras.

Set to launch next week in London as part of a collaborative project with fashion designer Johanna Bloomfield, Harvey's line of "Stealth Wear" clothing includes an "anti-drone hoodie" that uses metalized material designed to counter thermal imaging used by drones to spot people on the ground. He's also created a cellphone pouch made of a special "signal attenuating fabric." The pocket blocks your phone signal so that it can't be tracked or intercepted by devices like the covert "Stingray" tool used by law enforcement agencies like the FBI. And if that's not enough, Harvey has also made what he calls an "XX-Shirt," which uses material designed to "protect your heart from X-ray radiation."