[Watch] Police State Technology – The Expanding Database On 137 Million Americans Already Exists

Posted on 6 May, 2014 by Rick Wells



Cutting Edge Technology has the American public rapidly moving towards a time when there will no longer be anonymity. In the name of crime fighting and as usual, “public safety,” we will all have our files within the human tracking system. This is a particularly menacing fact given the trend among police agencies towards consolidation and militarization. We have also seen numerous instances of abuse of power, both on a local level, as well as a virtual mission as it applies to some federal agencies.
Remote surveillance, command centers, handheld facial scanners, software developments and increased data storage and retrieval capabilities are leading to a point where everyone will be known to whoever has the ability to access the database.
The FBI’s Next Generation Identification program adds facial scans and other biometric data to the fingerprint records of 137 million Americans.
Jennifer Lynch of the Electronic Frontier Foundation describes the biggest concern of the NGI is that anybody could end up being in that database. She points out that those who match the initial input are placed into a position of being forced to prove that they are not guilty rather than the reverse, which is how our government is structured.
She details how the storage and retrieval of mug shots by the FBI is a policy and as such, could easily be changed to include more invasive monitoring and record keeping.
Other technological advancements pose privacy concerns as well. Wide-area surveillance abilities is one area of development. As the image resolution and efficacy improves the claimed benefits and justifications for their use will as well.
The second half of the video is a panel discussion hosted by Scott Shafer, of KQED, with three parties involved in this debate, from different positions and viewpoints. The guests are Mike Sena, of the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, David Greene, Senior Staff Attorney of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Jennifer Granick, Civil Liberties Director at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.



While the discussion raised some interesting points, it is clear that technology and surveillance will continue to play an increasingly prominent role in the relationship between Americans and those who control our society. At this point, that seems to be a reality which is inescapable.

Rick Wells is a conservative author who believes an adherence the U.S. Constitution would solve many of today’s problems. “Like” him on Facebook and “Follow” him on Twitter.

http://gopthedailydose.com/2014/05/0...lready-exists/