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designedconflictterritories:

Enter the brand new science of digital photography. Only Sony (in the lead) — and Canon — had very early (professional) digital camera systems which could use an analog phone line to transmit their megapixel images to a faraway location — in this case, a distant newspaper, news service, magazine, or TV news station. An analog modem was used to convert the picture — pixel by pixel — into the chirps and squawks many of you remember from early PC data modems. A single picture would take minutes to send. Photographers were very careful in their selections — and constantly fearing for their own lives in risking this.

Chinese officials and soldiers were watching airports, sea terminals, trains, and boats to Hong Kong. The government order was that nofilm must escape. No camcorders or movie film. Nothing. Tourist cameras were opened and emptied. Videocassettes were seized. Anything the size or shape of a 35mm film canister was seized. Officials took no chances.

The leaders were completely unaware of the dozens of digital cameras capturing every citizen’s courage — and every government stumble and massacre.

How Best-Kept Tech Secret Got Tank Man Images Out of China | EE Times