[RahulNagaraj]

A recent incident in New York is showing how AI technology can be used to help the police department catch fugitives. According to reports, the AI tech provides information that not only helps catch fugitives but also analyses who is driving like they might be a criminal.



As per reports, the police department pulled over a fugitive, despite him not speeding or breaking any traffic laws. However, upon searching his car found illegal substances, along with cash and a gun. The police department later revealed that based on surveillance from dozens of states, they were able to examine his driving patterns and use AI to analyse & determine that the fugitive made several trips along routes typically used by drug traffickers, before turning around and heading home quickly.

Rekor is the company which provides AI tech to the police department and is said to be just one of many working with police across the country. The company states that its tech can be used with any existing cameras and can gather information like licence plates and the make & model of the vehicle used.

The company's "Rekor Public Safety Network" is said to be collecting vehicle location data from its customers for the last three years and has information from at least 30 states. The tech is capable of reading more than 150 million plates per month, which has alarmed civil rights advocates.

Ben Gold, the lawyer of the fugitive caught, commented, “With no judicial oversight this type of system operates at the caprice of every officer with access to it." He further added, “This is the systematic development and deployment of a vast surveillance network that invades society’s reasonable expectation of privacy.”

Having said that Rekor, apart from the police department is also partnering with other corporations like fast food restaurants. Companies like McDonald's & White Castle are using the data gathered by the automatic licence plate recognition to tailor drive-thru orders for its incoming customers, while also personalising promotional offers.

Source: CarScoops

Link to Team-BHP news

[PreludeSH]

What US media makes a big deal about Chinese surveillance on its citizens is slowly creeping in US now. People may sign on to such things if they are fed with information that it will make society safer.

But just think about how its been trained and how certain sections might become more vulnerable. It can lead to being false flagged by these systems and create even fatal encounters. Human police officers are doing the same today.

[kadanaJ]

I don't understand the extreme resistance to such tech. At the end of the day, the police being able to do their jobs better, leads to a safer society.

The issue with the above example is that many people consider drugs to be a relatively minor offence, and would prefer the police be more lenient in such cases.

However, when the same technology is used to capture a murderer or rapist, I'm sure no one will have a problem then.

[superbad]

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

I don't understand the extreme resistance to such tech. At the end of the day, the police being able to do their jobs better, leads to a safer society.

The issue with the above example is that many people consider drugs to be a relatively minor offence, and would prefer the police be more lenient in such cases.

However, when the same technology is used to capture a murderer or rapist, I'm sure no one will have a problem then.

The problem is that there is no regulatory oversight to such data collections or analysis, no checks & balances, & this data is easily accessible to anybody in the law enforcement agencies, irrespective of rank. Who is to say that tomorrow there isn't a rogue law enforcement personnel who will use it to extract vengeance on anybody, even if no crime was committed? Or hacking of such a system by someone with more sinister ambitions than merely stalking?

Who will guard the guards? That is the question.