Cop Fired For Using Database To Spy On Ex-Wives
from the wonderful... dept
Here's a fun one for people who keep pushing for a more complete database that ties together all of an individual's personal information. People who complain point out that the data could be misused. Those who support the concept say that only trained law enforcement officials will have access to the data. Of course, what happens when you can't trust the trained law enforcement officials? A police officer in Ohio has been fired after it was discovered he's been spying on multiple ex-wives and relatives using the police database system. What's interesting is how it was discovered. One of the wives noted that he seemed to have information he shouldn't have. So, does that suggest a possible way to set up such a database -- by letting those whose information is in the database see how it's being used? By turning the spying around on those who have access to the database, someone in the database could make sure that it wasn't being (mis)used without their knowledge.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Cop Fired For ...
currently police need a reason to stop u to request identity eg speeding, violent behaviour. new laws proposed allow police to effectively stop anyone, request their drivers license or passport, and obviously detain if they think there is something wrong. communism has died but stalinist fascists are alive & burgeoning in the west ...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
How to protect society from misuse of power?
A solution to this problem is really worthwhile.
How about: "You are told of all data requests after a certain time period - say a year".
The policeman in the story would know that he would be found out. This would be the reason for honesty.
This is especially needed for government organizations where there is a huge imbalance of power between the 'watchers' and the 'watched'.
Rather than assume that they would never misuse the power - make them easy to catch. And punish then also!
The searcher might have to enter the reason for the search. Automated tools could detect unusual trends in searches - to protect society!
Any other suggestions? Objections?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]