Video and data surveillance by public and private entities.
Civil Surveillance (39)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 13 min
- Kinolab
- 2002
In the year 2054, the PreCrime police program is about to go national. At PreCrime, three clairvoyant humans known as “PreCogs” are able to forecast future murders by streaming audiovisual data which provides the surrounding details of the crime, including the names of the victims and perpetrators. Although there are no cameras, the implication is that anyone can be under constant surveillance by this program. Once the “algorithm” has gleaned enough data about the future crime, officers move out to stop the murder before it happens.
- Kinolab
- 2002
Preventative Policing and Surveillance Information
In the year 2054, the PreCrime police program is about to go national. At PreCrime, three clairvoyant humans known as “PreCogs” are able to forecast future murders by streaming audiovisual data which provides the surrounding details of the crime, including the names of the victims and perpetrators. Although there are no cameras, the implication is that anyone can be under constant surveillance by this program. Once the “algorithm” has gleaned enough data about the future crime, officers move out to stop the murder before it happens.
How will predicted crime be prosecuted? Should predicted crime be prosecuted? How could technologies such as the ones shown here be affected for the worse by human bias? How would these devices make racist policing practices even worse? Would certain communities be targeted? Is there ever any justification for constant civil surveillance?
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- 7 min
- Kinolab
- 2002
In the year 2054, the PreCrime police program is about to go national. At PreCrime, three clairvoyant humans known as “PreCogs” are able to forecast future murders by streaming audiovisual data which provides the surrounding details of the crime, including the names of the victims and perpetrators. Joe Anderson, the former head of the PreCrime policing program, is named as a future perpetrator and must flee from his former employer. Due to the widespread nature of retinal scanning biometric technology, he is found quickly, and thus must undergo an eye transplant. While recovering in a run-down apartment, the PreCrime officers deploy spider-shaped drones to scan the retinas of everyone in the building.
- Kinolab
- 2002
Retinal Scans and Immediate Identification
In the year 2054, the PreCrime police program is about to go national. At PreCrime, three clairvoyant humans known as “PreCogs” are able to forecast future murders by streaming audiovisual data which provides the surrounding details of the crime, including the names of the victims and perpetrators. Joe Anderson, the former head of the PreCrime policing program, is named as a future perpetrator and must flee from his former employer. Due to the widespread nature of retinal scanning biometric technology, he is found quickly, and thus must undergo an eye transplant. While recovering in a run-down apartment, the PreCrime officers deploy spider-shaped drones to scan the retinas of everyone in the building.
Is it possible that people would consent to having their retinas scanned in general public places if it meant a more personalized experience of that space? Should government be able to deceive people into giving up their private data, as social media companies already do? How can people protect themselves from retinal scanning and other biometric identification technologies on small and large scales?
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- 40 min
- New York Times
- 2021
As facial recognition technology becomes more prominent in everyday life, used by players such as law enforcement officials and private actors to identify faces by comparing them with databases, AI ethicists/experts such as Joy Buolamwini push back against the many forms of bias that these technologies show, specifically racial and gender bias. Governments often use such technologies callously or irresponsibly, and lack of regulation on the private companies which sell these products could lead society into a post-privacy era.
- New York Times
- 2021
She’s Taking Jeff Bezos to Task
As facial recognition technology becomes more prominent in everyday life, used by players such as law enforcement officials and private actors to identify faces by comparing them with databases, AI ethicists/experts such as Joy Buolamwini push back against the many forms of bias that these technologies show, specifically racial and gender bias. Governments often use such technologies callously or irresponsibly, and lack of regulation on the private companies which sell these products could lead society into a post-privacy era.
Do you envision an FDA-style approach to technology regulation, particularly for facial recognition, being effective? Can large tech companies be incentivized to make truly ethical decisions on how their technology is created or deployed as long as the profit motive exists? What would this look like? What changes to the technology workforces, such as who designs software products or who chooses data sets, need to be made for technology’s impact to become more equal across populations?