No Face-Scanning Tech at San Diego Super Bowl

b3n writes "From our local paperspace fishwrap this article (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/mon/ business/news_mz1b20snoope.html) ... "San Diego police have rejected the use of a controversial face-scanning technology for Sunday's Super Bowl, saying it's too costly and ineffective. Face-scanning technology that compares faces in a crowd with digital photos of criminals, fugitives and suspected terrorists gained national attention and sparked an outcry when it was used at the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla.""

Re:Ahhh....

[ZeroLogic]

You've got it all wrong. The deciding issue wasn't the legality or morality of using a system such as this one. It was based on cost and effectiveness.

Re:Ahhh....

[GreyWolf3000]

Aha! Therin lies the joke. I wasn't genuinely thanking San Diego Police for their concern for privacy at all. This is an issue heavily tied with civil rights questions (especially regarding the fourth amendment), and being in the YRO section, we're supposed to say, "Yippie! No face scanning. Thanks for coming to the decision not to go ahead and violate the fourth amendment this year!" Meanwhile the Constitution has been reduced to a guideline that police can follow or go ahead forget about. "Yippie! Thanks, San Diego Police!" Get it? I hope so.

Seriously you'd think that the tongue-and-cheek tone of the post would clue people in to the fact that a joke is indeed being made.

The system was useless...

[Geraden]

Seeing as the Dallas Cowboys weren't playing, the system probably wouldn't have found anyone!

I am still on the fence as to the danger posed by systems such as these. Although I agree that having face recognition systems at events such as these might catch a few criminals, I am concerned that law-abiding citizens' rights may be trampled upon in the process. These systems are not foolproof, and will "catch" a certain percentage of innocents. How many peoples' Super Bowl have to be ruined by a quick trip downtown before the system is rejected by the public?

I'd be PISSED if it were me being wrongfully detained.

Scott

Re:Fourth Amendment?

[GreyWolf3000]

See, if the cops start asking civilians for their "papers," so to speak, they are probably also looking for criminals and Joe Sixpack's data will effectively get ignored. However, that doesn't stop such a system from becoming a more powerful control mechanism. I shouldn't have to show my face for a camera period, since "policy" with respect to what's done with data collected often changes. Simply having to prove I'm not a criminal at various checkpoints is a restriction on anonymous movement in public, and reminds us of totalitarian governments (namely Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany), and is distinctly what the Bill of Rights attempts to avoid.

You should read up on Nazi and soviet propaganda. You don't get tyranny overnight, and we must learn to guard ourselves vigilantly.