One step closer to the 'Minority Report'

Computer puts a name with fugitive's face
The match is the first since a facial recognition system was put into patrol cars two months ago.

By LEANORA MINAI, Times Staff Writer
Published September 14, 2004

The woman told Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies her name was Debra Lynn Smith. She gave a bogus date of birth and a partial Social Security number.
Unable to find the woman in local and state databases, deputies photographed her and scanned the digital image into a squad car computer Saturday to check it against the faces of felons and fugitives.
Deputies say they scored a match, the first since patrol cars were outfitted with a computerized facial recognition system. The controversial software was installed two months ago.
...
Despite nationwide criticism of the software, the Pinellas Sheriff's Office was the first in the country to begin using the mobile computerized facial recognition system.
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The system, administered by Massachusetts-based technology company Viisage, already is in place at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, the Criminal Justice Center and the Pinellas County Jail.
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The program is similar to one that was discontinued last year by the Tampa Police Department and publicly criticized by Super Bowl 2001 attendees after they learned their faces were being scanned as they walked into Raymond James Stadium.
St. Petersburg Times

Sounds like a great system, until the government starts using it at traffic lights and other government owned cameras. Imagine everywhere you go, your face is scanned against a database of criminals, and police dispatched if they see a match. Imagine Wal-Mart or other states leasing the system, and providing data to the police.

Good idea if the technology matures or slippery slope?

slippery slope?

we be on an express train.

privacy is a thing of the past.

Well I am going to tell you back in 85 when my husband was station in Hawaii I received a police ticket in the mail in wish I was cited for speeding in a highway on the other side of the Island, I was not even driving at the time and I did not have a Hawaiian driver license at the time.

So we call the police department and they said they did not have a clue as how I got the ticket, even when the ticket came from that particular police station their explanation was it was a new system they were trying and it was a mistake.

It had my name and social security number. Now this was in 85 how in the world did they have my name.

That is scary.

I do not trust computers to do the job of humans when it comes to recognitions.

I don't believe in the slippery slope fallacy, so I'm not worried about that. I am, howeve,r worried about stories like marg's being repeated, except this time for much greater offenses. But the technolgoy will be refined, and in the end I do believe it will be for the better.

With so many people getting plastic surgery done to their faces (like nose jobs, chin implants, etc.) would it still work?

Originally posted by elaine
With so many people getting plastic surgery done to their faces (like nose jobs, chin implants, etc.) would it still work?

That is a good issue. However, plastic surgery has been around for years, and I can't think of one criminal who has had it in order to evade capture.

Originally posted by marg6043
It had my name and social security number. Now this was in 85 how in the world did they have my name.

That is scary.

I do not trust computers to do the job of humans when it comes to recognitions.

I think it's kinda scary too, but I can't believe all the records were computerized in 1985 either.
How about identitiy theft? I recently got a collection letter for a $600+ phone bill for a phone in a place I've never been to. They had my name and social too.

If they had my face scanned, there would be no mix up. So, it could be a mixed blessing. We REALLY have to do something to curtail identity theft.

You know I thought about identity theft, also, and I have to say it was an isolated incident and I never had the same problem again, perhaps my social security number was similar to somebody else. But then again it happened again.

Back in Quantico VA. Four years later I got an interview and a security check was done, I came out with two bounced checks and at the time I did not even had a checking account. The checks were from Georgia, I traced the checks and they had my name but the bank account was bogus.

Now I am more careful about checking on my credit.

Yes so far has not been any more problems.

Originally posted by curme

Sounds like a great system, until the government starts using it at traffic lights and other government owned cameras. Imagine everywhere you go, your face is scanned against a database of criminals, and police dispatched if they see a match. Imagine Wal-Mart or other states leasing the system, and providing data to the police.

Good idea if the technology matures or slippery slope?

I agree - this has big brother written all over it.