...the freedom to f the average citizen out of any hope of privacy:

[url]http://www.comcast.net/smedia/associatedpress_2002_07_04_-----_5438-0319-Beach-Surveilla..html[/url]

``It's for our protection. If you're not doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about,''

[puke]

This makes me want to take a trip to Va. Beach with a big hammer :(.  I was just there a few weeks ago.  

Here's the text of the article:

Va. Police to Test Face Software

SONJA BARISIC Associated Press Writer

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - If you're a criminal, a runaway or a terrorist, a day at the beach here may soon be anything but that.

The city will become the second in the nation - Tampa, Fla., is the other - to employ facial-recognition software to assist police in identifying and catching criminals and missing persons.

The system is to be tested along the city's oceanfront resort strip this holiday weekend, and police hope to have it fully operational in two to three weeks.

``We're adding to our ability to prevent crime and keep Virginia Beach safe,'' Deputy Police Chief Gregory Mullen said Wednesday.

Critics say the software is inaccurate and an invasion of privacy.

``This is a Big Brother contraption,'' said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. ``It is a device that allows the police to take pictures of citizens who are doing nothing wrong while they're in a public place.''

A board made up of members of minority organizations, civic leagues and the Virginia Beach Hotel/Motel Association helped create guidelines for using the system and will conduct unannounced audits.

The city has used 10 closed-circuit TV cameras to watch the oceanfront since 1993, largely to check traffic and observe crowds. Under the new system, three additional cameras will be used to scan a four-block area and feed images to police station monitors.

The software will create a ``map'' of 80 distinctive points on the face, such as the distance between features. The system will issue an alert if at least 14 points on a face picked up by a camera match those on a face in a database of mugshots.

If an officer monitoring the computer screen decides the faces look similar, the officer will radio an officer on the street to verify the match in person and take further action.

In Virginia Beach's test, the database will contain about 600 photos of people with outstanding felony warrants as well as volunteers.

The database eventually will contain thousands of mugshots of people wanted for felonies and violent misdemeanors, missing persons and runaways, and people on the FBI's terrorist watch list.

Advisory board member Cornell Fuller said he is confident the system contains enough safeguards to prevent abuse.

[b]``If you go to the ocean I don't think you should have an expectation of privacy,''[/b] said Fuller. ``You give up part of your privacy when you venture out into the public domain.''

Some tourists walking along the resort strip Wednesday said they think the system is a good idea.

[b]``It's for our protection. If you're not doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about,''[/b] said Bonnie Satterlee, 39, of Johnstown, Penn.

On the Net:

Virginia Beach: http://www.vbgov.com

My message to them:

"I read of Va. Beach's use of facial recognition technology in public tourist areas.  I am writing to tell you, that as a Virginia resident, I am dismayed.

You state on your website that: "Facial recognition technology is an additional security measure that is not invasive or inconvenient."  I wonder what you would consider invasive?  

I was enjoying the sun and waves of Virginia Beach just a few weeks ago.  I want to state clearly that it will be my last time in your city, as you have apparently lost sight of the privacy of your tourists.  I would welcome the opportunity to speak with a local representative if interested.  Until then, I'll be enjoying the beaches of North and South Carolina."

Believe me - Virginia Beach is threatened by tourist areas in the Carolinas, and is struggling to maintain it's tax base.  Messages such as these are effective.  Please feel free to send a similar message to those in charge at Va. Beach.

   Black Fox

I posted this response on another board, but it follows the same question about "right to privacy and cameras in public".



[i]Fourth Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against [red]unreasonable[/red] searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.[/i]


I'd have to rest on an important legal term: "reasonable"

It is reasonable to assume that when out in public, one can expect that one will be observed by others in public, including law enforcement.

You can also expect to be photographed or filmed while out in public - just try going to any major monument or national park, you're being photographed in the background of many people all the time. You are also being observed by LEOs, even though you may not see them (undercover security, etc.).

As such, I see nothing "unreasonable" about cameras in public places that would violate the 4th Amendment.

I find it unreasonable and the founding fathers probably would also.

I'm stunned they actually said that... I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. Wonder how long until they start quoting directly from 1984...