Curiouser and curiouser. People in Tampa are protesting the cameras with recognition software that the city is installing.
That's not the curious part.
If Tom Tomorrow is to be believed, any time the software registers a match of 8.5 or higher, the "suspect" will be arrested.(I couldn't find the story on the New Haven Advocate site.)
Appalling, but again, not the curious part.
ArchConservative representative Dick Armey is joining the ACLU to call for hearings on the use of such technology.
Perhaps a sign of the coming apocalypse, but again, not the curious part.
No, the curious part is that the above link on hearings is the only notice I could find about the cameras on either the Tampa Tribune or St Petersburg Times site. The Associated Press newswire story is being reported across the country; you'd expect more detailed local information. But not a word in the local newspapers. Why, one wonders, would the local newspapers not have extensive coverage of these protests?
As a side note, it'll be fascinating to see how Tampa works out the logistics of getting someone to the place in time to arrest them before they leave. It'll be even more fascinating to see, assuming they keep the technology, how many lawsuits they have against them for false arrest -- I'd wager that the flood will be coming.
Copyright © 2001, Iain Jackson, after-words.org
[Archives: 2001 and after]
Archives before February 5, 2001
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12/19/2001: vive la france
12/19/2001: princess, redux
12/19/2001: yemen and rumsfeld
12/18/2001: you're NOT in the army now
12/18/2001: interesting donation
12/18/2001: shame on winn dixie, indeed
12/18/2001: saudi princess
12/17/2001: new resolve
12/17/2001: a victim of the attack ... yeah, right
12/17/2001: polluters ho!