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Date sent:         Thu, 03 Jul 2003 01:01:05 -0400
To:                politech{at}politechbot.com
From:              Declan McCullagh 
Subject:           FC: AP: DARPA's new vehicle surveillance system 
                   draws criticism
Send reply to:     declan{at}well.com


PLANNED SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM RAISES EYEBROWS

A new surveillance system being developed by the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency has some scientists and civil libertarians
concerned about potential civilian uses of the system. 

The Combat Zones That See project is intended to use software to 
analyze images from many thousands of cameras in an urban setting 
to identify cars, license plates, and even passengers. 

The goal is to protect U.S. forces in urban settings by spotting 
license plates on watch lists or discerning suspicious behavior. 

Despite assurances from the Pentagon that the technology is intended 
only for military uses, some observers have expressed concern that 
it could be used by civilian law enforcement agencies in a manner 
that intrudes on personal privacy. 

John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org said, "Government would have a 
reasonably good idea of where everyone is most of the time."

Washington Post, 2 July 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61389-2003Jul2.html

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Cheers, Steve..

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