From Rudy Moore
The implications of intelligent security surveillance systems are worrying
(11 December, p 24).
There’s a fundamental flaw in the logic of the example in
which an airport security guard spots an alleged bomber. This flaw pervades the
entire technology.
The system recognises the behaviour of the possible bomber as highly
suspicious. The first thing the guard does is to apprehend the suspect, when he
should be calling the bomb squad. In the type of situations these systems are
designed to prevent, public safety has to be the number one concern. It
shouldn’t take a back seat to the desire to apprehend someone who may have done
nothing wrong.
This technology is scary because it allows organisations to target
individuals when their primary responsibility is to the public. This technology
will be misused. I just hope our legal systems are up to the challenge that
these machines will impose. I fear that they are not.
orn@upl.cs.wisc.edu
