The Role of Computers in Surveillance ~ Katie Hatland

Background Types of Surveillance Red light cameras Photographic or video data Located at intersections Used to catch and prevent vehicles from running red lights

Background Types of Surveillance Biometric Physical and behavioral characteristics of people Would be integrated into all aspects of daily activities Used for identification, verification, and screening

Background Before Computers Physical presence of police necessary Continuous monitoring not practical Waste of resources

Ethical Issues Safety vs. Profit Red light cameras used to increase profit Cameras don’t prevent accidents Cameras actually cause accidents

Ethical Issues Privacy Information from red light cameras can be used for other purposes Biometric data stores too much information on individuals Protection on who is able to access information Certain groups will be targets

Conclusion Computers have made it possible to: Easily store and access information Reduce human characteristics to numeric codes Monitor activity as a means of protection and law enforcement

History of Impact Current Technology Red light cameras use digital photographs and video recordings Collection and maintenance is less expensive Biometric uses fingerprinting, handwriting, and iris recognition Used in some banks for verifying identity

History of Impact Future Technology Biometric data to monitor for suspicious behavior Would replace passwords