Facial Recognition in UK Shops Will Soon Instantly Alert Police About Offenders (theguardian.com) 101
Facial recognition technology in U.K. shops "will soon alert police in real time to the presence of serious offenders," reports The Guardian, "with civil liberties groups warning of a 'dangerous escalation' towards surveillance and criminalisation in the retail sector."
Facewatch, a facial recognition system used by more than 100 businesses including Sainsbury's, B&M and Spar to monitor thieves, said it was launching a UK-first feature to "alert police instantly when the most serious offenders trigger a live facial recognition match". Facewatch's chief executive, Nick Fisher, said the "unique technical development" would be launched in autumn and would warn police in an average of four seconds when the "worst offenders" were flagged on its network... Charlie Whelton, the policy and campaigns officer at [civil liberties nonprofit] Liberty, said it was concerned about this "untested, opaque development" and the way facial recognition technology had been allowed to "proliferate without anything to govern it".
"It's not against the law to walk into a shop even if you've committed crimes in the past," he said. "The idea of calling the police on somebody who hasn't committed a crime, but there's a concern they might, is really upending the way we do things. And of course, it's not infallible. These systems do make mistakes, and it's very hard to argue with that when it happens to you." A number of people have been forced to leave shops after being falsely identified by Facewatch technology as a shoplifter, with some describing it as "Orwellian" and saying they felt as though they were "guilty until proven innocent"...
The use of the Facewatch technology looks set to quickly expand, with Sainsbury's recently announcing plans to increase its use from 55 stores to more than 200 by the end of the year. Facewatch said it alerted retailers almost 300,000 times that a "known repeat offender" had entered a store during the first six months of 2026, and that its system allowed staff to intervene "before theft, abuse or violence could occur or escalate"... [E]xperts argue the use of facial recognition technology in shops to catch shoplifters is disproportionate. Nuala Polo, the UK public policy lead at the Ada Lovelace Institute, which studies the impact of AI on society, said: "There are other, much less intrusive means that you can use to catch shoplifters where you don't need to be scanning millions of faces every day, virtually without consent...."
The campaign group Big Brother Watch has criticised police for "inserting themselves into this cowboy operation" and said people would be matched against "a secret blacklist compiled by unaccountable businesses and private security guards".
"It's not against the law to walk into a shop even if you've committed crimes in the past," he said. "The idea of calling the police on somebody who hasn't committed a crime, but there's a concern they might, is really upending the way we do things. And of course, it's not infallible. These systems do make mistakes, and it's very hard to argue with that when it happens to you." A number of people have been forced to leave shops after being falsely identified by Facewatch technology as a shoplifter, with some describing it as "Orwellian" and saying they felt as though they were "guilty until proven innocent"...
The use of the Facewatch technology looks set to quickly expand, with Sainsbury's recently announcing plans to increase its use from 55 stores to more than 200 by the end of the year. Facewatch said it alerted retailers almost 300,000 times that a "known repeat offender" had entered a store during the first six months of 2026, and that its system allowed staff to intervene "before theft, abuse or violence could occur or escalate"... [E]xperts argue the use of facial recognition technology in shops to catch shoplifters is disproportionate. Nuala Polo, the UK public policy lead at the Ada Lovelace Institute, which studies the impact of AI on society, said: "There are other, much less intrusive means that you can use to catch shoplifters where you don't need to be scanning millions of faces every day, virtually without consent...."
The campaign group Big Brother Watch has criticised police for "inserting themselves into this cowboy operation" and said people would be matched against "a secret blacklist compiled by unaccountable businesses and private security guards".
it’s always the “worst” (Score:4)
make no mistake, this technology will be deployed against ALL offenders, not just “the worst.” and that will lead to false positives, which innocents will be left to sort out when inevitable mis-identification is made.
at the very least, to avoid misunderstandings, users of this technology should post bonds payable to people that are falsely accused and accosted by law enforcement.
Re:it’s always the “worst” (Score:5, Interesting)
It already has been making false positive matches. There have been several stories about people randomly accosted as they entered stores like B&M, with the security staff claiming they were criminals and often breaking the law themselves in the process.
Because the database is shared by several different chains, it's something that you can't ignore if it falsely flags you. You need to get them to remove your face from it, and ideally claim some compensation for the misuse of your biometric data. The baseline is £250, but I'd be looking for at least £750 due to the hassle and embarrassment caused.
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No surprise that people avoid shops like B&M.
Eventually the economics will work out that there wasn't a saving to be made. The security on the door can't do much to detain, they can tell the police that there's a sighting, but beyond that, they're mostly powerless. You can see how systems like the creep in when they don't have much power to detain.
Police and casinos do face to face confirmation (Score:4, Interesting)
It already has been making false positive matches.
Just like human eye witnesses. The police know this, whether human witness of AI, its a potential sighing to police when then go out to confirm identity face to face.
Yeah, the store employees may be more of a problem. Not understanding the unreliability of human witnesses and AI. Casino's are supposedly better at this, they'll send out a manager to meet the person face to face after the AI flags someone walking in as being on the banned list that casino's share.
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Indeed. And a few that are not offenders at all and against quite a few misidentified people since this tech is _unreliable_.
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... since this tech is _unreliable_.
In fact, this technology is almost useless for identifying dark skinned people. Or maybe that's a feature?
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... since this tech is _unreliable_.
In fact, this technology is almost useless for identifying dark skinned people. Or maybe that's a feature?
It's a feature. Supposedly all dark-skinned people are guilty.
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make no mistake, this technology will be deployed against ALL offenders
Haha no. It's just deployed against random people for no discernible, preventable or transparent reason. Bugs? Yeah no shopping for you. Shitty algorithm? Say hello to the police (also no shopping for you). Etc...
at the very least, to avoid misunderstandings, users of this technology should post bonds payable to people that are falsely accused and accosted by law enforcement.
Yes. Automated slander is still slander even if you got an algo
AI produced potential sighting, not identification (Score:2)
make no mistake, this technology will be deployed against ALL offenders, not just “the worst.” and that will lead to false positives, which innocents will be left to sort out when inevitable mis-identification is made.
AI does *NOT* identify anyone. A live police officer standing in front of a live suspect identifies them. The AI just produces a potential sighting, just like a citizen calling phoning in to say they think they saw a wanted person. Neither the eyewitness, not the AI, are reliable. The police know this when they go out to confirm the sighting.
Re: AI produced potential sighting, not identifica (Score:2)
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Yeah because once the police is involved any misidentification is not possible. That's why we didn't have cases like Breonna Taylor and countless others. Dude once AI flags you as a dangerous criminal they are coming packing, extra on edge and trigger happy. You'll be lucky if you live even when innocent.
You falsely represent an outlier as the norm. Misidentification has ALWAYS occurred. The police officers on patrol are the first level of filtering out the bad reports, traditionally human based reports. Such verification is NOT something new. Whether human witness or AI based is irrelevant, and likely unknown, to that patrol officer making the initial contact. An officer who is trained to be aware of the unreliability of potential sightings. Then at the station we have further processes that involve proper
Makes false positives expensive (Score:3, Interesting)
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I see, so you welcome a Nazi state.
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More like 1984, the UK government looked at that book and said "yep! we want that, but with a bunch of stabbing people from the middle east"
Do you have a Costco card? (Score:3)
That's easily solved by requiring on demand identification for admittance.
I see, so you welcome a Nazi state.
More likely they welcome Costco to the neighborhood.
Re:Makes false positives expensive (Score:5, Informative)
Like the US, the UK HAS NO ID cards.
Re: Makes false positives expensive (Score:3)
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Like the US, the UK HAS NO ID cards.
Is this sarcasm? Every US state and territory has ID/DL cards. The British are supposedly rolling out a revamped ID this year.
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Many, not all, of those state ID cards qualify as a "Real ID" by the federal government's definition, but apparently that isn't enough for the ID to be universally accepted either.
I think State IDs have mark for Real ID compliant (Score:1)
Side note, when you get a passport you also can get a "Passport Card". It's only good for land travel across a US border, ie driving back and forth from Mexico or Canada. I think some short cruise ship situations too, a quick visit to Mexico and some Caribbean islands. But
Re: Makes false positives expensive (Score:2)
The US has ID cards. It doesn't have a single ID card. Here's a list of over a dozen forms of ID that will let you board an commercial air flight in the US.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/sec... [tsa.gov]
"Passport Card" is a federal ID (Score:2)
"The U.S. passport book and passport card are both REAL ID compliant."
https://travel.state.gov/conte... [state.gov]
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Like the US, the UK HAS NO ID cards.
Is this sarcasm? Every US state and territory has ID/DL cards. The British are supposedly rolling out a revamped ID this year.
The GP was being disingenuous at best.
What they meant is that we don't have any state issued cards that are just for ID like many other nations, similar to how the US has no single government ID as a point of reference. We certainly have ID, drivers licenses, passports, several different proof of age cards (under the PASS scheme), residency cards, so on and so forth. We just keep most of our departments separate, so I've a different ID with the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) to the NHS (Natio
We have store membership / loyalty cards ... (Score:2)
Like the US, the UK HAS NO ID cards.
In the US it is common to have store membership or loyalty cards. Costco checks your membership card at the door, grocery stores offer special discounts on items when using the loyalty card at checkout, Show you REI membership card during checkout and you get an end-of-the-year "dividend" from non-sale purchases, etc.
The grocery store loyalty cards offer quite significant savings and are extremely popular.
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What stops the shop putting your full name and date of birth on a blurry photo of a real criminal, because the computer said so? It's already saying you're not you and the shop staff bel
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Re:Makes false positives expensive (Score:5, Interesting)
English courts use guideline figures for wrongful arrest/false imprisonment: the starting point is around £500 for the first hour of loss of liberty, with a full 24-hour wrongful detention normally attracting about £3,000 total (some firms cite closer to £1,000-1,400 for the first hour, £6-7k for 24 hours, depending on aggravating factors). Even five-minute detentions have resulted in payouts around £200. Rates taper the longer detention goes on, the first hour is compensated more heavily than hour 20, on the logic that initial shock matters more than continued duration. On top of basic damages, courts can add aggravated damages (distress, humiliation) and, rarely, exemplary damages up to around £50,000 for serious police misconduct, though that requires proving something like malice or oppressive conduct, not just an honest mistake.
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English courts use guideline figures for wrongful arrest/false imprisonment: the starting point is around £500 for the first hour of loss of liberty, with a full 24-hour wrongful detention normally attracting about £3,000 total (some firms cite closer to £1,000-1,400 for the first hour, £6-7k for 24 hours, depending on aggravating factors). Even five-minute detentions have resulted in payouts around £200. Rates taper the longer detention goes on, the first hour is compensated more heavily than hour 20, on the logic that initial shock matters more than continued duration. On top of basic damages, courts can add aggravated damages (distress, humiliation) and, rarely, exemplary damages up to around £50,000 for serious police misconduct, though that requires proving something like malice or oppressive conduct, not just an honest mistake.
This.
As a self defence practitioner I tell people two things about self defence in the UK.
1. PUT DOWN THE DAILY MAIL. it's full of lies, you are 100% within your rights to defend yourself, with force if required, in the UK. The whole "you can't even defend your family" in the UK is utter bull meant to keep you more scared of phantoms than fascists.
2, If your attacker flees or attempts to flee... Let them go. This is the only major thing that'll end up harming a self defence legal defence, which is
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I would argue automatic facial recognition reporting to authorities resulting in misidentification is already "oppressive conduct" and guaranteed 50K.
Being ask to leave the real problem (Score:2)
It really should be like winning the lotter to anyone falsely flagged and detained.
People will not be detained, they will either (1) be questioned by police to confirm their identity or (2) be asked to leave the business by management. The latter is probably the more problematic. The police know that AI reports are just as unreliable as reports by human witnesses. False sighting are not a new thing for police.
Being asked to leave is the real problem. Stores generally have the right to decline service so long as it is not a decline based on race, religion, etc. The thing to work out is
Re: Being ask to leave the real problem (Score:1)
In the United States, as long as youâ(TM)re not asking someone to leave based on a protected status, there are almost no limits to asking someone to leave the property. You donâ(TM)t have to give any reason whatsoever. The bigger problem for stores is that this can do huge reputational damage if they become known for booting people erroneously.
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There is nothing in the description saying people are being detained, and I doubt that is happening in the vast majority of cases, but obviously detaining someone who hasn't committed a crime would be a really dumb thing to do that c
Casinos use this technology... (Score:1)
This isn't anything abnormal. If one has visited the Strip, casinos use this technology all the time. Someone steps in that is banned, they get sent downtown for criminal trespass. It is the only way to keep security with the amount of visitors and would-be criminals.
I would much rather see this type of stuff deployed than having underwear in locked cases because of the constant shoplifting. It would be nice if a caught shoplifter would be arrested on the spot as soon as they set foot in a shop, so one
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when you say "Someone steps in that is banned" you actually mean "Someone steps in who looks like someone that is banned"
kind of an important distinction.
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Right, it is a short step from that to Blacks and other minorities being banned.
Re: Casinos use this technology... (Score:2)
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It would be nice if a caught shoplifter would be arrested on the spot as soon as they set foot in a shop,
Arrested on what charge? If they are someone previously caught shoplifting then presumably they have already paid their fine or served their sentence for that crime. While I'm aware that some shops ban individuals guilty of theft from being on the premises in the future, we're talking about a list that is shared between business chains, and you aren't going to know who all the chains are on the list. You can't arrest them for trespassing at a store they may have never been to before.
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"criminal trespass" requires that (1) you are notified that you are not allowed on the premesis, and (2) Not leaving or [re-]entering knowing that you were not allowed to be there.
In other words, no crime has been committed at the time of the "arrest".
Re: Casinos use this technology... (Score:2)
Please re-read my reply. It's about that. What happens when you are banned from one chain for shoplifting, but their facial-recognition database is shared with others? How the individual supposed to know which stores they can go to and not be arrested?
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If the shop banned them, then the charge would be trespassing. Shops are private property and can ban people for life even if they've otherwise paid their debt to society.
Selective use (Score:1)
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Normal, because there ARE NO 'illegal immigrants', only asylum seekers and refugees.
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Yep, that's what is destroying the USA, illegal immigrants: It's not a rich, white criminal and his rich, white buddies. Fox News promises you that, so do your patriotic duty to stop illegal immigrants.
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Yep, that's what is destroying the USA, illegal immigrants: It's not a rich, white criminal and his rich, white buddies. Fox News promises you that, so do your patriotic duty to stop illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigrants, who they all hire for cheap labor so there's no real effort to stop it. If there were the employers would be the ones facing legal action for hiring them. Simple supply and demand.
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The crime started with illegally entering the US and then continued.
....Except that is, in of itself, not a crime.
(Meanwhile, it is widely documented that "illegal immigrants" are, as a group, far, far, far more law-abiding than actual citizens)
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Two tier policing is alive and well in the UK.
It is: right wing protests get the ultimate in soft touch policing, especially farmers. Protestors causing similar disruption but aligned left get massively harsh sentences. This two tier policing absolutely needs to end and the police need to crack down as hard on the right as they do on the left.
That way maybe the right will stop advocating for it.
"disproportionate" (Score:5, Insightful)
It's cheaper than the loss to shoplifting. It's not disproportionate.
Anybody who has ever tried to run a business knows that there is an absolute deluge of scammers and thieves targeting businesses of any size, and getting some authority to act even on direct evidence is next to impossible. Facial recognition systems on top of pervasive video surveillance are a form of vigilantism and exist because as a society we seem to have decided that "petty" crime is just fine - not even fined. If you don't fend for yourself, you get fleeced. Being allowed to go into a shop, without being personally known and no other form of reputation, is a privilege born from trust created through a functioning society with laws that are enforced. Take away the enforcement, and in some cases even the laws, then the trust and privileges they afford us all are going away.
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It's cheaper than the loss to shoplifting. It's not disproportionate.
You missed the point. Avoiding shoplifting (being cheaper than the loss) is an OBJECTIVE. The facial recognition is a MEANS. The statement is that the MEANS is disproportionate to the OBJECTIVE. The proportionality refers to how much the MEANS affect people's life, compared to the BENEFIT of reaching the OBJECTIVE.
In the case, notifying police every time someone (who happens to be an ex-convict) intends to legally purchase food or clothing, is clearly disproportionate, as it prevents them to perform basic t
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If you think anyone is going to worry about the police being notified when people who have shoplifted before are present, you haven't read the rest of the comment. Clearly this isn't ideal, and in a better world people would object, but the realization that petty crime is running rampant has sunk in. Even common people without any business interest notice. The utter lack of enforcement will have consequences: If not facial recognition then turnstile entrances with ID checks or membership cards. RFID will ma
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If you think anyone is going to worry about the police being notified [...]
1) I have not used as an argument that people would be worried. I used as argument that the means are disproportionate to the objectives. /. post.
2) Actually many people are worried, it's the whole point of the
Re: "disproportionate" (Score:2)
Shooting thieves is also cheaper than the cost of imprisoning them. Doesn't mean it's ok.
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It's only cheaper if you do not get sued for slandering an innocent person that your camera falsely reported tot he police.
Basically, what is going on here is companies shifting risk from themselves to their customers.
Does that sound to you like a good idea? To be so afraid of your customers stealing that you treat them with massive disrespect?
Muslims (Score:1)
Is it going to recognize people who have a sack over their face?
Note: I am not against Muslims just religious whackos of every kind. Wearing a sack over your face is a whacko thing by all objective standards.
Re: Muslims (Score:2)
And if you're an Irish Traveller, you just put a potato sack over your head with 2 eye cutouts.
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You should watch "Django Unchained" to see such 'sacks' work.
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People already use masks and shawls, big sunglasses and hats in the UK, because of the tens of thousands of cameras.
Nexts (Score:3)
Facial Recognition in UK Will Soon Instantly Alert Police About Offenders
next
Facial Recognition in UK Will Soon Instantly Alert Police About Anyone
next
Facial Recognition in UK Will Soon Instantly Alert Administrations About Anyone
Re: (Score:2)
next
Fascist Recognition in UK will Soon Instantly Alert Administrators About Undesirables Undesired by the State
Police reaction? (Score:5, Informative)
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I recall hearing something about Wal-Mart getting integrated police stations, or at least a police officer assigned and stationed within the building. Sounds similar.
Next step... (Score:5, Insightful)
...facial recognition will alert shop owners when a compulsive buyer enters, so that he/she can be approached at once by shopping assistants.
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...facial recognition will alert shop owners when a compulsive buyer enters, so that he/she can be approached at once by shopping assistants.
What shopping assistants? They got rid of all of them which incidentally along with a bunch of other "cost saving" measures made shoplifting much easier.
Yeah, *that's* the big problem right now (Score:1)
Time for some C.S. Lewis.
The game is to have them running about with fire extinguishers whenever there is a flood, and all crowding to that side of the boat which is already nearly gunwale under. {...} Cruel ages are put on their guard against Sentimentality, feckless and idle ones against Respectability, lecherous ones against Puritanism.
The big problem of our civilization and age right now isn't that we are going to get too harsh or guard too much against people who rip off stores.
Failure of the state (Score:5, Insightful)
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His daughter probably saw a tear in the seat fabric, and a lightbulb was out, and "felt unsafe". Maybe there was even someone speaking Spanish - they could have been saying anything! He could have been asking for marihuana!
I feel real bad for store owners trying to attract people like that into a business.
Privacy means having a government ID number (Score:2)
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Every contract you enter into requires both parties to uniquely identify each other.
Only to a limited degree and duration. If I walk up to the counter and point to a candy bar, the only ID required is the dollar bill I'm prepared to hand over in exchange for it.
Imagine a society where the terms of the exchange depend on prior establishment of your identity and social credit score.
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What bullshit.
You don't need mother's favorite brand of knickers, you need trust. And you can not outsource trust.
straight out of Minority Report? (Score:2)
Wasn't there a scene in Minority Report where the star was trying to run away from the authorities he kept getting his iris scanned by electronic billboards and signs as he ran through the crowded shopping plaza?
IIRC the advertisements and announcements that played started customizing themselves indicating they'd identified a criminal and showing is face and profile?
Always the wrong answer (Score:3)
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Lets NOT build a working society,
Define "working society". Are you including the people who shoplift/steal items and make their living selling them at popup flea markets? If you do, then please let us know the next time you leave your garage door open or car unlocked. So we can restock our street corner market.
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Define "working society". Are you including the people who shoplift/steal items and make their living selling them at popup flea markets?
Boosters are risking their freedom and even their lives. If it was easier for them to find work then they'd do legitimate work instead of boosting. Selling at flea markets is a job itself, so they're clearly willing to work.
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If it was easier for them to find work then they'd do legitimate work instead of boosting.
Governments are making it increasingly difficult to be independent contractors. Some people do gig working. Some hang around the Home Depot parking lot. Others boost.
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This is such an incredibly dumb postæ YouÃ(TM)re getting worse by the day, drinkypooæ
Mouse buttons and config dialogs are both confusing to you but I'm getting worse?
Can we avoid a dystopian future? (Score:3)
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At this rate, with scanners everywhere, and constant monitoring (cell phones pinging our location), is it even possible to avoid a sci-fi-level dystopian future? Or are we destined to be "meat bags" from Fifth Element? Are we unavoidably careening for Minority Report? Even if some of us decide to split off to create an island of freedom, so to speak, would a more technologically advanced, and hostile group overtake everyone else? Should we just accept our fate and fall in line, now?
That depends on whether we continue to let wealth be hoarded by the 1% - 0.1% of people or take measures to reduce wealth inequality. One way leads to Fifth Element, the other towards Star Trek.
Once a criminal, always a criminal. Every time. (Score:2)
We need this (Score:1)
Admittedly this is something of and intrusion but overall we need facial recognition to assist in the apprehension and prosecution of those guilty of thought crimes. The wrong thinkers are too conniving and deceitful to catch otherwise so we need to enhance the algorithm with the capability to know everything about everybody...always.
So does waving at the shop owner with four fingers (Score:2)
Just wanted to point out... (Score:1)
organised resistance (Score:2)
Mask (Score:2)