The possibilities that researchers envision for this kind of technology have the ring of science fiction. Think of systems that spot abandoned
packages on a train platform or alert an airline crew to a potential terrorist on board. Already, cities like Chicago have invested in "anomaly
detection" cameras around town, linked to emergency headquarters.
source
This is a rather frightening article, even if it wasn't intended to be. A grocery store has implemented a new type of camera to spot
"sweethearting." That is when a clerk acts to assist friends in shoplifting. The cameras and computers to which they are connected are designed to
spot this; no humans involved until the alert is sounded. How long will it be until there are cameras like this everywhere?
The push for this will of course be in the name of "the public good." We'll start to see these on lampposts and stoplights here and there. Then
soon enough, they will be everywhere looking for everything from smoking in a non-designated area to jaywalking to violations of whatever rules and
regulations they care to throw our way.
TA