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Original poster

How is it possible that the land of Orwell and "1984" permits this kind of surveillance?

35 replies

MsAmerica · 02/02/2020 20:16

I just find this so hard to believe. Yes, it's the way things are heading, but can't believe there aren't more objections.

London police are taking surveillance to a whole new level, to start using facial recognition to spot criminal suspects*
By Adam Satariano
London’s police department said Friday that it would begin using facial recognition to spot criminal suspects with video cameras as they walk the streets, adopting a level of surveillance that is rare outside China.

www.nytimes.com/2020/01/24/business/london-police-facial-recognition.html

www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-nyt-london-facial-recognition-surveillance-20200124-dbgm2lc2ezcx5i5vssh35jkvam-story.html

OP posts:
dustibooks · 04/02/2020 23:14

Both those articles are from American sources, and no, I haven't read them. Their system of justice and policing is totally different from ours, so their opinions are irrelevant.

As far as I'm concerned, anything that has the potential to stop marauding psychopaths, murderers and terrorists can only be a good thing. It seems we aren't allowed to keep them locked up, so we have to come up with other ways of preventing their despicable acts.

If you have some other bright idea of how to do that, then great. What is it?

Mimishimi · 04/02/2020 23:05

Yeah, all good until we get to a 'Juden Raus' or 'Muslims out' moment and the fascists go crazy again and call all dark people terrorists.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 04/02/2020 23:03

Apparently it’s very terfy. It recognises sex, and no, I’m not kidding. There were actual concerns about this. 😁

cdtaylornats · 04/02/2020 22:57

Currently the London Underground uses a movement recognition system to try and spot typical pickpocket behaviour before the strike.
Should this be stopped for civil liberty reasons?

As an aside they accidentally discovered that the system also spots people planning to suicide.

Original poster
MsAmerica · 04/02/2020 02:17

Walkingdeadfangirl, I will point out that there are few - if indeed any at all - instances where general public surveillance (as opposed to targeted surveillance of specific suspects) stopped a terrorist. In the U.S. the attacks that were thwarted were pretty much always due to the intervention of ordinary citizens - as with the Times Square bomber.

OP posts:
Original poster
MsAmerica · 04/02/2020 02:13

Haggisfish, yes, it is not only that surveillance information can be used in ways that are detrimental - a vendor charging you higher prices, or an insurer refusing you - but the video surveillance has a very high error rate, as this article (and others) says.

OP posts:
Walkingdeadfangirl · 03/02/2020 21:34

If this is going to help stop Islamic terrorists killing people then I am all for it.

Haggisfish · 02/02/2020 23:52

What if you are unlucky enough to look very
Similar to a most wanted criminal?

Haggisfish · 02/02/2020 23:52

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that data gets used for nefarious reasons or that it gets stolen. The ‘don’t do anything wrong and you’ll be fine’ line isn’t reason enough for me to be comfortable with this at all.

BackforGood · 02/02/2020 23:50

and that would be a problem, because........... ? Confused

As my face isn't on a list of 'wanted' murderers, child abusers, or other known criminals, then I wouldn't have an issue with anything that assists with tracking those who are. In fact, it sounds like a positive to me.

My face will be on CCTV every day as I walk down the High Street , into shops, banks, schools, Nurseries, get on and off buses, etc etc etc.
Improved technology that can then use those images that are captured throughout the day to track the country's 'most wanted' sounds like a good move to me.