Ariana Eunjung Cha of The Washington Post on Pentagon Details New Surveillance System: Critics Fear Proposed Extensive Use of Computer Database Raises Privacy Issues
The Pentagon yesterday detailed the development of a massive computer surveillance system that would have the power to track people as never before.
It would identify people at great distances by the irises of their eyes, the grooves in their face or even their gait. It would look for suspicious patterns in video footage of people's movements. And it would analyze airline ticket purchases, visa applications, as well as financial, medical, educational and biometric records to try to predict terrorists' acts or catch them in the planning stage.
While this type of Minority Report technology is widely believed possible, it is for now, still in the lab. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned about it's possible use in the future.
Link courtesy of Patrice McDermott via the In Defense of Freedom mailing list. This entry also posted at The Watchtower.