FBI technology to further intrude on privacy and civil liberty!
WASHINGTON (PNN) - July 26, 2012 - As you scan the face on that giant billboard, it may just be scanning your face right back.
Increasingly sophisticated digital facial recognition technology is opening new possibilities in business, marketing, advertising, and terrorist cop tactics while exacerbating fears about the loss of privacy and the violation of civil liberties.
Businesses foresee a day when signs and billboards with face recognition technology can instantly scan your face and track what other ads you’ve seen recently, adjust their messages to your tastes and buying history, and even track your birthday or recent home purchases.
The Amerikan Gestapo Federal Bureau of Investigation division and other Fascist Police States of Amerika law enforcement agencies already are exploring facial recognition tools to track citizens, quickly single out dangerous people in a crowd, or compare a grainy security-camera image against a vast database to look for matches.
Facial recognition technology is becoming increasingly advanced and could be available and affordable before restrictions on its use can be put into place. Concerns have been raised on Capitol Hill in recent weeks that FBI searches using the technology could trample Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, while some in the industry say excessive regulations could cripple cutting-edge technology.
The FBI’s Next Generation Identification program may accelerate the rate of progress. It will provide a national database of mug shots, enabling law enforcement officials to use the facial recognition technology to quickly search pictures of suspects against photos of anyone who has ever been arrested. Set to take effect in 2014, it has caused concerns that officials can discover a criminal past of anyone for whom they can obtain a picture, with or without probable cause.
Senator Al Franken (Minn.), who chaired the Senate hearing, noted that FBI training manuals already show facial recognition technology being used to identify protesters.
“Something has to be done, because otherwise we are living in a world of ubiquitous identity” where you can’t walk out your front door,” said Justin Brookman, Director for Center for Democracy and Technology's Project on Consumer Privacy.
