Surveillance
FBI sued for selling Americans’ biometric data to private companies
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a non-profit privacy advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit against the FBI over the use of its new Next Generation Identification System (NGIS). Privacy advocates and experts are purportedly suing the federal intelligence agency in order to protect personal, identifiable information on the grounds of non-disclosure, citing concerns about the […]
Saratoga Springs bets its safety on security cameras
For tourist towns, safety and economic development go hand-in-hand. Every summer, tourists flock to the quaint resort town of Saratoga Springs in Upstate New York for its healing mineral waters and summer race track. However, a recent spate of crime including robberies, sexual assault and an ugly incident involving a machete, have residents worried not […]
Is video surveillance too high a price to pay to deter criminals?
Although video surveillance has been adopted by many cities to deter crime, their effectiveness is up for debate. Many studies suggest that camera footage helps in criminal investigations, but is not effective in preventing crime. In many cases, crimes happen in areas just outside the cameras’ reach. Another hindering factor is that a camera monitoring system […]
Fashion strikes back against surveillance technology with stealth wear
“Over the next 15 years, the US Federal Aviation Administration anticipates more than 20,000 new drones will appear in American skies, owned not just by law enforcement agencies and the military, but also public health bodies and private companies.” (Report: PSFK) This rise in surveillance technology includes face recognition software, body scans, and cell phones as […]
Landowner liability for trespasser injuries is under review
Sitting on the governor of Virginia’s desk is HB2004, an amendment to Virginia’s laws that limits the liability of the property owner when a person, trespassing on a property, gets injured. Trespassing is an infraction as old as private property itself. This bill serves as an extra legislative layer in protecting property owners against injured, […]
Police surveillance drones pose a threat to domestic privacy
As the battle rages on about the U.S. government’s use of drones in the war on terror, the inevitable diffusion of military technology into civilian life is well under way. In the international debate over the use of drones, a major sticking point has been the use of drones to kill American citizens thought to […]