Smart Cameras Detect Crime, Erode Privacy

MattSparkes writes "Smart surveillance systems could identify crimes as they take place, if a computer vision system developed at the University of Texas goes into production. The system is capable of classifying behaviour as friendly or violent. In the past there have been attempts to spot unusual behaviour, but this required subsequent user classification. These new systems may keep us more secure, but is it worth sacrificing our privacy for? And will we see false positives, where police cars screech to a halt beside hugging couples?"

Comments

Re:Half Life 2

[inviolet]

I'm sorry, but having some algorithm deduce whether or not my behavior is acceptable is over the limit.

And what, pray tell, do you think the policeman's brain is executing when he is deciding whether or not to accost you?

At least with a robotic police force, the algorithms can be standardized, QA'd, reviewed, perhaps even open-sourced.

Will only work for Untalented

[wbtittle]

Any conjurer will tell you the futility of this system. Conjurer's make stuff happening when you are looking (sometimes days before you think he is doing it). This camera may identify when a person gets out of control and ignores his surroundings, but will be useless for people who plan ahead, especially if they know such a system is in place. Its greatest use is what cameras are currently used for, checking what happened after the fact.

Once again Scientists fail to consult those who make their living by fooling us.