Surveillance Cameras Get Smarter

[Joanne98]

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The next time you walk by a shop window, take a glance at your reflection. How much do you swing your arms? Is the weight of your bag causing you to hunch over? Do you still have a bit of that 1970s disco strut left?

Look around -- You might not be the only one watching. The never-blinking surveillance cameras, rapidly becoming a part of daily life in public and even private places, may be sizing you up as well. And they may soon get a lot smarter.

Researchers and security companies are developing cameras that not only watch the world but also interpret what they see. Soon, some cameras may be able to find unattended bags at airports, guess your height or analyze the way you walk to see if you are hiding something.

Most of the cameras widely used today are used as forensic tools to identify crooks after-the-fact. (Think grainy video on local TV news of convenience store robberies gone wrong.) But the latest breed, known as "intelligent video," could transform cameras from passive observers to eyes with brains, able to detect suspicious behavior and potentially prevent crime before it occurs.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-smart-surveillance,0,5054891.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[nebenaube]

1. Gee...

The dutch had systems that could automatically identify altercations and alert the monitoring tech up and running in 2002.

[pretzel4gore]

2. too bad they can't do anything about global warming

climate change, or the forces that reckon 200 billion metric tonnes carbon in earth's thin atmosphere perfectly ok and 6 billion more carbon added each year just gods strange and terrible will.... too bad they can't do anything about the fact the liar/cheat/sinner/hypocrite/thief has such an huge advantage in life...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. Machines, just like our children...

are being taught what to think as opposed to being taught how to think. :(

[superconnected]

4. I'm against this whole catch the criminal before they commit the crime, crap

What if the person wasn't going to do it, but they tackel and arrest the person anyway, for the way he walked. And then of course try him for intent.

[LiberalFighter]

5. I am against catching criminals before they commit the crime too

but they included the phrase "prevent crime" in the statement. I believe that they are more interested in preventing crime from happening so they don't have to waste time apprehending and prosecuting shoplifters.

They would not have any right to tackle someone just because of the way they walk and cannot try him for intent. If the legislators and courts were to allow this to happen then I guess we would be allowed to provide the proper justice to the legislators and judges whether they like it or not. (I am being extremely nice about this.)

If they do this right they alert store clerks and/or theft prevention personnel to a potential problem. When they are alerted they should then keep a closer eye on the situation preferably with at least 2 employees.

They could outfit clerks with bluetooth type earpieces possibly that would extend the theft prevention system.

[rman]

7. Can also be used at airports etc to detect possible terrorists -

and you know what happens once you are a suspected terrorist.

[LiberalFighter]

8. There would be too many people in that situation being pulled over

because of suspicious body movements.

How many people are nervous when they fly? They would need to reprogram it so that it would recognize terrorists.

But don't know if that is possible. How many traveling would be wondering if they are carrying contraband and they would transmit "terrorist" signals to the computer?

[PLF]

6. just wait until they require that you have one in your home "for safety" reasons

[redqueen]

9. That idea's already been floated, actually ...

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=6506

[superconnected]

10. good one. How 1984.