Privacy
Biometrics May Be Banned In Florida Schools, But Flourish Elsewhere
Breaking Tampa Bay, Florida and national news and weather from Tampa Bay Online and The Tampa Tribune | TBO.com Politics Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport is one of 10 schools in the nation using biometric scanning technology. LUKE JOHNSON/STAFF BY JAMES L. ROSICA Tribune/Scripps Capital Bureau Published: March 9, 2014 TALLAHASSEE — State lawmakers are moving speedily to ban its use on schoolchildren, but the use of biometric identification isn’t going away. Biometrics uses physical characteristics that can be measured — fingerprints, irises, voices — to identify a person. At its most basic, even a photo ID badge is a biometric identifier. The example now causing a ruckus is in Pinellas County. Schools there use palm scanners to authorize withdrawals from pre-paid accounts, moving lunch lines faster and giving students more time to eat. That ruckus, however, so far has been stirred by legislators, not parents. State Sen. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, says she caught wind of the practice and grew alarmed. She also knew about Polk County schools scanning children’s eyes to track comings and goings on school buses. “What are we doing in government in terms of taking biometric information?” she said, mentioning her concern that the information could be breached and used for identity theft. “I think a ban is definitely the way to go,” she said, “I want to protect school kids.” Beyond the security fears and Big Brother-type anxiety, advocates say biometric authentication simply exists to answer the question: Are you who you […]
Source tbo.com
Camera Facial Recognition Program Put On Hold For Osaka Train Station
2014-03-07 23:33:08 National Mar. 08, 2014 – 06:40AM JST ( ) OSAKA — A plan by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NIICT) to implement high-tech camera software inside the Osaka train station building sometime next month has been delayed due to opposition from a local civic group Follow-up report to me Any reported complete Just news photo Just video . NHK reported Friday that the group opposes the use of software capable of tracking individuals’ movements, and facial recognition photography because it is an invasion of individual privacy. According to the plan, 90 cameras were scheduled to be installed in Osaka Station City with the object of tracking pedestrian traffic and congestion inside the station, and even assisting in evacuation efforts during times of disaster over a two-year period. The NIICT said it had informed the public that the cameras’ photographic capabilities will only be used to capture overall pedestrian traffic, never any one person’s facial features, in particular. Any information outside of those parameters would not be stored or used in any way. Despite this assurance, however, many university professors and other members of the civic group said that filming passersby in crowded public areas without their permission is something they could not support. The group submitted petitions to both JR West and the NIICT. The NIICT said it has taken the widespread opposition and criticism into consideration and a committee of specialists is being formed to conduct an investigation into how the camera software […]
Source www.freenewspos.com
Troy NY Proposal Says Cops Can’t Stop People Videotaping Them
Troy City police officers would face a fine and jail time if they to stop people from legally photographing or filming them under an ordinance created by the City Council’s Public Safety Committee . Councilman Robert Doherty , the committee chairman, said the law would be drafted and presented in the months ahead. The proposed ordinance arises from two police brutality lawsuits filed against the city in U.S. District Court by James Fahey and Brian Houle . "No longer will we have citizens brutally attacked for photographing or witnessing police activity, such as happened with Mr. Foley and allegedly, Mr. Houle," Doherty said in a statement at the committee meeting Wednesday. "The administration and police leadership are now on notice that any citizen is authorized and encouraged to witness, photograph and attest to police conduct at any time they choose without interference," Doherty said. "To assure this right is advanced with enthusiasm in a clear, enforced policy, I will seek to enact an ordinance to affect this in Troy," Doherty said. The city settled its lawsuit with Foley for $90,000. Houle’s $3 million lawsuit against the city is stilling pending. An attempt to resolve Houle’s suit in February through mediation was unsuccessful, according to federal court records. The proposed ordinance would carry a maximum $5,000 fine and a jail term of up to 15 days for an officer found guilty of violating it. The proposed law comes as the city deals with the fallout of the melee between police […]
Source www.timesunion.com
Video Surveillance In The Workplace – Update The Privacy Officer
Always at the center of the problems that the experts have to face, "Video surveillance in the workplace" will be the theme of the course of 8 hours valid for updating the Privacy Officer of Policy Advisors and Certified by TÜV Examination Institute, with the recognition 10 credits. There will also be 4 credits for lawyers, who have credited the event organized by Federprivacy for April 11, 2014 in Arezzo. The course has been structured to provide students with the knowledge necessary to implement in the workplace video surveillance systems in accordance with the Privacy Code, the Provisions of the Privacy of ‘08.04.2010 and the Workers’ Statute. The teacher will be the lawyer. Mark Soffientini, Coordinator of the Scientific Committee of Federprivacy, which in the early part of the day will explain all the topics of the program, while the second part will take over as moderator of a panel discussion with the directors of the Territorial Directorate of Labour of Arezzo and other employees the work will be working, taking an active part in the debate to analyze the most common cases, and outlining possible solutions to be in good standing and not be violating that often involve heavy fines, sometimes even criminal. The course will be held at the Congress Centre Hotel Etrusco Arezzo on April 11, and the rules for participation have two options: € 100 + VAT for non-members Federprivacy, including the registration fee for 1 year, or reduced fee 60 € + VAT for […]
Source www.federprivacy.it
ICE License Plate Tracking Plan Withdrawn Amid Outcry About Privacy
Blank Hawaii License Plate Related Content (CNN) — Homeland security officials on Wednesday abruptly shelved a proposal to build a national database of license-plate scans after criticism from privacy advocates. The proposal, which had been posted online last week by the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sought a contractor who could establish a searchable database of license plates, with the times and locations where they were spotted by traffic cameras and other sources. But in a statement late Wednesday, the department announced a reversal. “The solicitation, which was posted without the awareness of ICE leadership, has been canceled,” said spokeswoman Gillian Christensen. “While we continue to support a range of technologies to help meet our law enforcement mission, this solicitation will be reviewed to ensure the path forward appropriately meets our operational needs.” It was unclear whether the proposal was dead or was merely withdrawn for revisions. Under the proposal, officers in the field would have been able to use their smartphones to look up a license plate and see every time and every place the vehicle had been spotted by a camera. “The database should track vehicle license plate numbers that pass through cameras or are voluntarily entered into the system from a variety of sources (access control systems, asset recovery specialists, etc.) and uploaded to share with law enforcement,” the original solicitation read. The proposed National License Plate Recognition database was to have been used by immigration officers to find and arrest fugitives. Supporters of license-plate […]
Source khon2.com
A Watchful Eye In Hospitals
Neil Webb HANOVER, N.H. — DESPITE the intensely personal moments that happen in hospitals, patient privacy can be elusive. Hospitals are multimillion-dollar corporations that look like shopping malls and function like factories. Doctors knock on exam room doors to signal they are about to enter — not to ask permission. The curtain that encircles the hospital bed always lets in a crack of light. Yet we do expect some degree of privacy in hospitals. We trust doctors with our secrets in part because they take a 2,000-year-old Hippocratic oath to respect our privacy, an oath enforced by laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act . But sometimes, doctors have to weigh patients’ privacy against their health and safety, and that’s when things get complicated. The use of video monitoring — covert or disclosed, of patients or providers — has proliferated as high-quality, inexpensive technology has become increasingly accessible. The possibilities range from watching elderly patients at risk of falling in their rooms to recording doctors and nurses at sinks to make sure they’re washing their hands. My hospital, where I am chairman of the bioethics committee, recently wrestled with the question of where patient and family privacy ends. Nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (N.I.C.U.) worried that a premature infant, whom I’ll call Rickie to protect his identity, was being harmed by his parents. Rickie had been released a week earlier from our hospital to a penniless couple in their early 20s whom Child Protection Services […]
Source www.nytimes.com
Law Enforcement Of The Future: Body Cams, Data Mining, And GPS Bullets
A whole raft of new technologies are making their way into police departments around the nation. If there wasn’t much profit in being a criminal before, there will be notably less by 2025, when all of these new technologies are fully deployed. So what does the police force of the future look like? Read on to see some of the new tools being tried out right now, in cities around the nation. Body Cams These will take two forms, primarily. First, Police departments around the country are running pilot programs with Google Glass and related gadgets, and second, they’re looking at tiny “lapel cams” that would allow for safer pursuit of fleeing suspects. Other advantages of such body cameras include: • Increased accountability for officers and departments • Providing real-time video evidence of interactions with the public • Such devices could allow officers and emergency responders to access live information feeds as they engage or pursue suspects on city streets or inside buildings “The camera within the device could potentially capture the facial images of persons of interest or suspects and run these images against databases of known felons, repeat offenders, wanted or missing persons,” Daly told FoxNews.com. Data Mining and Automation One key advantage law enforcement will see from these various technologies is that it will enhance their ability to respond to emergencies with decreasing resources, according to “American Policing in 2022: Essays on the Future of a Profession,” a Department of Justice collection of ideas on the […]
The Challenging Future Of American’s Privacy
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/technology/when-no-one-is-just-a-face-in-the-crowd.html?_r=1 Fitbit, Nike, and Garmin could sell your personal fitness data without your permission: Fitness-minded Americans have started wearing sporty wrist-band devices that track tons of data: Weight, mile splits, steps taken per day, sleep quality, sexual activity , calories burned—sometimes, even GPS location . People use this data to keep track of their health, and are able send the information to various websites and apps. But this sensitive, personal data could end up in the hands of corporations looking to target these users with advertising, get credit ratings, or determine insurance rates. In other words, that device could start spying on you—and the Federal Trade Commission is worried. "Health data from [a woman’s] connected device, may be collected and then sold to data brokers and other companies she does not know exist," Jessica Rich, director of the Bureau for Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission, said in a speech on Tuesday for Data Privacy Day . "These companies could use her information to market other products and services to her; make decisions about her eligibility for credit, employment, or insurance; and share with yet other companies. And many of these companies may not maintain reasonable safeguards to protect the data they maintain about her." Several major US-based fitness device companies contacted by Mother Jones —Fitbit, Garmin, and Nike—say they don’t sell personally identifiable information collected from fitness devices. But privacy advocates warn that the policies of these firms could allow them to sell data. When you buy one of these bracelets or clip-on devices, you have […]
Source massprivatei.blogspot.com
High-Tech ‘Peeping Toms’ Spy On Women, Children
Piping & Core Driller Location: New York NY 10017 US Category: Engineering, Information Technology, Construction Degrees Required: 4 Year Degree Employment Type: Full-Time Manages Others: No Requirements: MUST HAVE A CAR A college or technical school degree in Information Technology, Information Systems or Engineering preferred. Minimum one-year technical degree or equivalent from college or technical school AND 2-4 years related experience. Proficiency in a broad range of CCTV and Access Control products and security architecture. Direct field technicians in installation of cabling and device set up and wiring Ability to work with power tools and ladders. Relevant experience either through employment or personal use/activities. Proficiency in Network architecture and protocols, database management, and fiber optics. Electrical expertise including knowledge of digital electronics, AC & DC circuits and understanding of parallel and series resistor circuits and there effects SKILLS: Strong troubleshooting and problem solving skills. Ability to quickly learn to use new software tools, with respect to (NVMS) Network Video Management Systems. Effective verbal and written communications skills. Team player – ability to work well in a close employee/support environment. Must be comfortable working in a dynamic environment with constant changes. Must be comfortable with travel, sometimes on short notice, and occasional after-hours support requirements. EOE Requirements: The Technician will complete installations of Video surveillance and Access Control systems. The incumbent needs to be versed in running Cat6 and 18 gauge wiring, along with running all types of conduit through concrete walls of residential buildings to enclose the […]
Source www.hoteljobresource.com
ACLU: More Surveillance Cameras Don’t Make You Safer
video.surveillance.205×205.jpg Big images below. In a post last month , we told you about a new website called CommunityCam , which planned to use crowd-sourcing techniques to document and map all the security cameras in public areas throughout Denver and other nearby areas . The site’s founder mainly portrayed such surveillance devices as good things — no surprise, given that his main company sells and markets them. But the ACLU of Boulder’s Judd Golden doesn’t equate more cameras with more safety and is concerned about other possible infringements on personal privacy as they proliferate. Golden isn’t new to this issue. Back in August, he talked with us about license-plate readers , which he said had the technical capability of allowing authorities to track every driver in Boulder and beyond . So it’s no surprise he looked at the CommunityCam concept with a critical eye. Here’s a CommunityCam screen capture of Colorado from our original post. community.cam.denver.1.jpg Next, take a closer look at Denver metro, with designations for the number of cameras in assorted suburbs, plus Boulder and the city itself: community.cam.denver.2.jpg Finally, here’s a zoom-in of downtown Denver, with icons marking the locations for dozens of cameras, many just steps away from each other: community.cam.denver.3.jpg In the view of CommunityCam’s Josh Daniels, maps like these provide locals with “primarily social benefits — things like being able to plan safer, monitored routes for jogging, biking and walking. Obviously, Denver has a very active outdoor population of people, and this allows […]
Source blogs.westword.com
Department Of Commerce Mulls Privacy Protections For Commercial Use Of Facial Recognition Technology
Published on 10 Dec, 2013 COMPRO Technology Inc., a leading provider of innovative video surveillance solutions, recently launched the HD Pan-Tilt-Zoom cloud network camera TN920W to the market. TN920W offers 2MP HD high quality video imaging, up to 1600×1200 resolutions. It also features 10x digital zoom, 340° pan and 100° tilt and adopting Japan design motor with fast and precise performance. In addition, TN920W supports latest cloud technology and super easy QR code installation. It is an ideal choice for homes, offices, warehouses, restaurants and hotel lobbies. TN920W not only offers unsurpassed image quality but also wide-coverage monitoring. The megapixel resolution and 75° diagonal view angle allow TN920W to capture video from a wide area, effectively reducing the number of cameras required. On top of that, TN920W features a unique design of professional-grade Mechanical IR Cut and IR LEDs for 24/7 surveillance under any kind of lighting condition. When it comes to low-light conditions, the 12 built-in IR LEDs will be switched to additional infrared light that can capture clear images even in complete darkness. As with all TN product series, TN920W is comes with free C4Home cloud app featuring 2-way audio communication, pan/tilt control on mobile phone, preset points setup, Dropbox cloud storage, motion/audio detection, audio alarm and push notification with snapshot, and share video to others. Meanwhile, with the latest version app, you can enjoy new functions as: PTZ and two-way audio controls are now possible for shared accounts Configurable sharing options for the camera owner Support […]
Source www.sourcesecurity.com
Microsoft And Google Lead Coalition Demanding Limits On Government Surveillance
Edmond El Dabe Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 11, 2013 Leading California based law firm, El Dabe, is now offering extended legal services on its redesigned website. The improved website is inclusive of several new features like detailed informative blog posts, contact details as well as information on multiple legal practices offered by the firm. El Dabe Law Firm has become an established firm in multiple parts of California and is continually assisting clients in getting favorable results. Over the years, the firm has recovered millions of dollars in client settlements and is considered among the highest rated law firms in the state. El Dabe Law Firm is now offering its expert legal counsel in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks and Huntington Beach in various practice areas including personal injury, negligence, product liability, vehicle accidents. The firm is also offering legal assistance for clients seeking help with cases of elevator injuries, escalator accidents, chemical burns and funeral home negligence. In the past decade, the firm has been successful in closing settlements favorably for cases involving vehicle accidents, slips and falls, wrongful death, dog bites, burn injuries and defective products. A new highlight of the redesigned website is the detailed blog on Injury Law Central that covers essential details on the latest lawsuits and personal injury cases in the state of California. The website’s personal blog offers informative and detailed articles on understanding personal injury laws in the state and using the right legal counsel to get favorable settlements. The topics […]
Source www.prweb.com
Mechanicsville VA Bathroom Surveillance Cameras Under Investigation
MECHANICSVILLE, VA (WWBT) – Controversy is getting served up at Mechanicsville’s Calabash Seafood Restaurant & Midway Lounge. Owner Dennis Smith installed security cameras in the men’s bathrooms, back in September. Smith says he’s paid heavy costs for repairs after repeated bathroom vandalism. He maintains no privacy laws are being violated, since no guest’s private areas are being recorded. However, the Hanover Sheriff’s Office is now investigating the camera situation. Officers executed a search warrant. The cameras were shut off. Smith says investigators are reviewing the footage. Customer Victor Little says he was shocked to spot the cameras, while having dinner at the restaurant Saturday evening. He took cell phone video of the surveillance camera, situated on the ceiling above a stall. “I was startled… I couldn’t believe there was a camera in the men’s room,” said Little. Smith says the bathrooms have been a target of damage, during the span of the restaurant’s 34 years. Smith describes an incident in August that totaled $1,000. “I had a customer go in the men’s room and tear a urinal completely off the wall, with tile…(then the man) broke a toilet,” recounted Smith of the damage. However, the cameras have caused other problems. One man was charged for ripping out one of the cameras, back in September. He says he believed his privacy rights were being violated. The incident also prompted the Hanover Sheriff’s investigation into whether any privacy laws are being broken. NBC12 legal analyst Steve Benjamin says security cameras are […]
Source www.nbc12.com
What Happens In Vegas Does NOT Always Stay In Vegas With New Recording Street Lights
Wireless street lights can play music, video, interact with pedestrians and have ‘Homeland Security’ applications like video surveillance monitors Las Vegas r esidents worry that the lights are an invasion of privacy – ‘Who’s protecting our rights? Some cities in the UK and Holland have street lights that reprimand pedestrians for minor offenses like littering By Mail Online Reporter PUBLISHED: 12:31 EST, 10 November 2013 | UPDATED: 13:34 EST, 10 November 2013 Las Vegas is currently installing Intellistreet lights to their well-lit city. But Intellistreets are not just any street-lighting system. The wireless, LED lighting, computer-operated lights are not only capable of illuminating streets, they can also play music, interact with pedestrians and are equipped with video screens, which can display police alerts, weather alerts and traffic information. The high tech lights can also stream live video of activity in the surrounding area. But there’s one major concern.These new street lights, being rolled out with the aid of government funding, are also capable of recording video and audio. Neil Rohleder with the Public Works Department told NBC News 3 in Las Vegas that the main reason for installing the new lighting system is not to record anyone or anything. ‘We want to develop more than just the street lighting component,’ Rohleder said . ‘We want to develop an experience for the people who come downtown.’ But some residents worry that the lights, which are currently being tested in and around Las Vegas City Hall, are an invasion of privacy. […]
Source js.dailymail.co.uk
Cambridge MA Blocks Surveillance Cameras
How one Mass city watches the watchers, and how others should follow suit On February 2, 2009, the Cambridge City Council voted in unanimous opposition to the installation of eight Department of Homeland Security cameras at major intersections on the basis that “the potential threats to invasion of privacy and individual civil liberties outweigh the current benefits” of accepting the DHS funds. While six such cameras were installed all the same, the council and a vocal citizenry has since successfully opposed their activation. At a follow-up meeting earlier this month, all nine Cambridge councilors reaffirmed their position: the cameras must remain off until police prove beyond doubt that their department has the capacity to balance investigative methods with civil liberties. Such aggressive civilian oversight of law enforcement should serve as a model not only for the Boston region, but for the whole country. Since 9-11, police chiefs, sheriffs, and commissioners have had an open invitation to request any range of surveillance and tactical gear from federal coffers, often without accountability checks to ensure that deployment squares with the Bill of Rights. Between DHS, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Defense, local overseers can secure every conceivable toy that they could ever covet without spending a dime of their own. From drones, to armored vehicles, to Long Range Acoustic Devices, which are essentially giant human dog whistles, it’s a veritable buffet via federal grants. Since these checks are written by the feds, such arrangements are often executed without […]
Source digboston.com
ACLU Push Will Put Privacy In Public Eye
MONTPELIER From the proliferation of license plate readers to the installation of face-identification software at the Department of Motor Vehicles, state and local government in recent years has invested significant sums of money in technology that can be used to track citizens. Now one Vermont organization is saying enough is enough and will launch a campaign next week aimed at illuminating the scope of taxpayer-funded surveillance activities that have cropped up in the wake of 9/11. The Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union will unveil a report Tuesday highlighting the evolution in recent years of the states information-gathering apparatus. As the organization says in a YouTube video released this week announcing its efforts, We used to be a state where both the notion and the reality of privacy were true. But over the last dozen years, Vermont has been transformed into a state where were being watched, the video says. Allen Gilbert, executive director of the ACLU of Vermont, said residents here have largely been caught off guard by the cumulative effect of the new technologies. Many of these have crept in rather slowly, and I dont think anyone realized the scope of the individual pieces, and the power of the system when all those pieces are aggregated, Gilbert said. Components of the state and federal surveillance program include: license plate readers that aggregate driver data for use by law enforcement personnel; cellphone-tracking technology that allows police, often without a warrant, to determine the location of […]
Source www.timesargus.com
Ludington City Council OK With Bathroom Cameras
A recent City Council meeting of Ludington, Michigan, a town on the edge of Lake Michigan, heard during public comment from citizen Tom Rotta of hidden surveillance cameras in city park restrooms and how, with great detail to the Council, those cameras were able to video record the activities of the public in the stalls […]