Indian Police Adding Pre-Crime Software To Their Long List Of Snooping Tools
from the mind-your-associations dept
Lots of tech is being deployed by law enforcement around the world -- often far in advance of thorough testing, privacy impact assessments, or public input. Biometric scanning, facial recognition software, cell site simulators, social media monitoring tools, and, of course, "predictive policing."
The last one on the list brings together a bunch of data and tells cops where to go to stop crime before it happens. Pre-crime is no longer relegated to sci-fi movies providing chilling glimpses of a totalitarian future. It's here now and it's converting certain neighborhoods into instant probable cause.
The Chicago PD is only one of several agencies using the software to generate "heat lists" of citizens in need of arresting. There may be no criminal activity occurring when patrols begin, but the algos say it's inevitable, so off the cops go to round up people who may be likely to commit crimes.
India is starting to dip its toes into the pre-crime waters. A new program introduced in Maharashtra will dovetail with the local government's cybersecurity plans, possibly converting the second-largest state into India's leading surveillance state.
The work of enhancing and bolstering cyber security in Maharashtra, started in 2015, is based on five major projects, including developing software to help police department prevent untoward incidents or crimes at specific place and time. The software would work on technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics, empowered by exhaustive database of crimes and criminal activities, which is now being fed into the system.
SP Cyber, Maharashtra, Balsingh Rajput, who is implementing the state’s elaborate plan to strengthen the IT wing of state police under Special IG Brijesh Singh, said the ‘Predictive policing software’ would use available data sets of police, and open source information available over the internet, to give outputs regarding a probable crime. “Points for location and type of event and probable gang could also be derived well before time using the software,” he said.
The pre-crime software will roll out along with other tools of the tech-law trade. Portable phone forensic devices will be handed out to officers for use in cracking locked cellphones and scraping their contents. New software will allow the police to scan through hours of footage obtained from cameras and drones in a matter of minutes.
This will all be applied on top of India's nationwide surveillance of communications via its "Central Monitoring System."The national government has no qualms about participating in domestic surveillance. That attitude has carried over to the local level, ensuring round-the-clock monitoring of citizens' daily activities in Maharashtra.
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Filed Under: india, law enforcement, pre-crime, predictive policing, snooping
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If by "gone" you mean "rearranged"... Russia is not a state known for robust democratic process.
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If it works like facial recognition...
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Better idea: Start with corporate leaders first. Let’s knock Jack Dorsey down a peg or five!
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Belgium also considering
Linkable source (dutch): https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2018/08/30/politie-wil-criminele-feiten-kunnen-voorspellen-aan-de-hand- van/
Trials of a similar system in the Netherlands seem to have awakened interest in Belgium.
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This is a huge technologial advance
While they are at it, I understand there is also a need to have encryption systems that are secure but simultaneously insecure via a back door.
What genius software will they create next?
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Re: This is a huge technologial advance
How about "pre-rich" software? It could predict who is going to be a future millionaire or billionaire so that we can can go ahead and give them their money now. It's only fair, since they have it coming to them anyway. I'll even volunteer to write the program.
After that I could write a "pre-election" program. It could predict who would win an election and thus avoid the time and expense of an actual election.
I bet I could even combine the two into one program.
Just trying to help out, you know.
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Re: Re: This is a huge technologial advance
I look forward to winning .. er I mean selling many copies.
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Re: Re:
You don't even need a fancy algo to identify the the board members of the transnational narco trade. The bank records (and telecom records, airport records etc) would reveal the entire network.
Of course, the whole illusion of legitimate government would collapse if they went after serious crime.
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Dont forget to add license plate scanners to the list. Mapping out our daily routes.
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Proof?
If the police display an unexpected amount of patience and wait for the act of crime to begin and THEN arrest the perpetrator, then they would have actual crimes to charge the culprits with. Short of that, they only have un-provable intent. They might collect some planning materials and co-conspirators, but then they only have conspiracy to charge them with.
Maybe they should use the software in a blind study. Document the predictions, and correlate those predictions with actual crimes, for five or ten years, and see what it actually comes up with. Then, if accurate, the police could be in place and waiting for the culprits when they begin the crime.
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Re: Proof? (a better idea)
So, for this study, let's study how well it predicts criminality among the police themselves!
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Re: Proof?
The committed wrong is that you are being arrested for nothing. You are also the one being punished for said arrest. Aka. You're an example. One of many who will teach others to fear the absolute power known as the state, and to regret the choices of those that came before them that allowed said power to become untouchable.
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With the number of people who believe in magic, fortune tellers and ghosts being surprisingly high it is of concern that this software will be viewed by them as all knowing and infallible - and these people will be sitting on the jury to decide if you really did intend to commit whatever horrible crime. Did you or did you not intend to draw that mustache upon the King's portrait?
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Let's hope the software also red-flags verbal aggression, like namecalling, bullying, imputing mental illness on others (e.g., "nutbag" etc.), and doesn't wait until someone is harmed like we do now to imprison people.
Those who don't bully, don't namecall, and live law-abiding lives should not have to pay the price for the "alpha" slugs and sociopaths who think they can commit crimes while pretending to be upstanding citizens.
\The world is changing, and just like the big corporations who don't understand file-sharing and can't adapt, bullies, thugs, slugs, and other lowlifes will find themselves exterminated from the gene pool, and not a moment too soon.
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So, better just give up my friends - resistance is futile - you will be assimilated. (do I get to meet Seven of Nine?)
wait .. I detect a slight tone of sarcasm
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Re: Re:
I do believe in using predictive software, but only when sentencing actual criminal conduct. Pleawe keep in mind, however, that our mental health system is already fascist, can incarcerate those who have not committed crimes, even forcibly medicate them (which should be illegal).
In both cases, when someone has not committed a crime, even if their behavior appears "weird" or "wrong," the tie should go to the First Amendment.
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First I deserve to be in jail, because I have "not adapted to the new business model". Why do I have to do that? Is there some law?
Then you rant about how it is wrong to incarcerate, medicate those who have been predicted to be mentally deficient.
What if my mentally deficiency is to blame for my lack of new business model adaptation? Then what oh great eye in the sky, all knowing poo bah ?
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I think you have something to hide and therefore fear there buddy.
So we should throw out morals and ethics because totalitarianism has been legalized? You're the sociopath who needs to be locked up here buddy.
So, "death to everyone who's not like you" too huh? Will the real terrorists stand up?
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Why do we allow anyone who has not committed a crime to be incarcerated? We also make our homeless shelters so inhumane that referring the poor to one almost ensures that they will either commit a crime or require hospitalization, at which point they can be medicated. Those who see no problem with this should have no difficulty with software that can do more accurately what most of us already cheer being done now...to those we don't like.
First they came for the mentally ill...
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- I doubt that.
"It is even still acceptable bigotry"
- Apparently so - our great leader encourages it
"Why do we allow anyone who has not committed a crime to be incarcerated?"
- bottom line dividends, plea bargaining & bigotry
- and at the same time allow those who have to occupy the white house
" Those who see no problem with this "
- Who is that? Congress?
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They do and they should.
One person's injustice against another is manageable. A system built to commit injustice against everyone constantly however, is completely unaccountable. The only thing that can be done is to turn it off and dismantle the thing. As long as such a system exists, it's potential to victimize all of society is only limited by it's ability to gather data, and it's ability to manipulate others. No form of governance requires such a system. Especially one that is to be run by it's people.
Fear is not the only way to rule over others, willing agreement and acceptance work just as well and for much longer.
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