While we are being distracted by Identity Politics and Culture War issues, the Police state slowly creeps…
Police are using facial recognition technology without the formal framework its own advisers urged it to adopt to avoid causing “significant harm” and being seen it is “cavalier about its oversight of technology”.
The lack of oversight systems for facial technology was “not trivial stuff”, says a civil liberties campaigner, who agreed with the police assessment that it appeared “cavalier”.
While facial technology is not used to scan live CCTV camera feeds, police have introduced the new tool to match unknown suspects and people of interest against the databases of photographs it holds – including people previously arrested and firearms licence holders for firearms-related offending.
The upgraded technology can recognise facial features and also scars and tattoos.
A Privacy Impact Assessment ahead of the technology being introduced a year ago offered stark warnings about the risk of introducing the new technology and recommended a series of steps be taken, including auditing how the system was being used.
…the history of the Police gaining face recognition software power is made more grim when you consider how the Police have lied, misled and deceived the NZ public about how wide ranging these new Police power are.
The Police admitted to falsifying evidence to gain access to powerful surveillance tools, but have changed the law to make these private security firms hand over to them live feed footage anyway so there is nothing to see here?
Police admit misuse of number plate-reading technology as surveillance powers increase
Police have admitted to a second case of their misusing number plate-reading cameras, at the same time as they have revealed they are expanding the cameras’ use.
They already check the cameras almost a thousand times a day within a surveillance web that has quietly expanded, that provides lots of footage – mostly of New Zealanders going about their lawful business, but also of crime.
…now the private companies are at pains to tell us that they don’t have face recognition software so them handing this live feed over to the Police shouldn’t freak any of us civil liberty activists out…
It did not install cameras, and did not provide live facial recognition (FR) systems or services, or send any FR content to police, though its retail partners might use FR, it said.
SaferCities said it was proud of its “collaboration with law enforcement, local government and other community-focused organisations” to keep people safe.
The CCTV and ANPR assets were owned and “shared” by the community, not the company, it said, adding it did not provide any FR services.
…but we already know that the NZ Police have Face recognition software, and they don’t need the private companies to provide them with that if they already have the programs that can scan the live feeds!
Right now, the NZ Police are using mass surveillance facial recognition software from an Orwellian company that illegally sources photos without any sign off from the Privacy Commissioner or their own Police Boss!
The Police then held a ‘stocktake’ of these types of unapproved face recognition software trials and lo and fucking behold the Police quietly admit to a $9million face recognition network they are setting up with zero oversight from the Privacy Commissioner???
Police setting up $9m facial recognition system which can identify people from CCTV feed
Police have been quietly setting up a $9 million facial recognition system that can take a live feed from CCTV cameras and identify people from it.
This would push New Zealand into new territory for tracking citizens.
It will be run by a non-police contractor – US firm Dataworks Plus – and collect 15,000 facial images a year, with that expected to expand up to 10-fold.
Their latest move is to create some fake watchdog panel over mass surveillance powers that no on gave them!
The duplicitous and underhand manner in which the NZ Police have quietly amassed a mass surveillance network alongside their constant abuse of power to get what they want is an incredibly dangerous combination for any State Agency to gain.
The assurances from private companies that CCTV footage won’t have face recognition software on them means nothing if the Police already have it and are simply taking the live feed and running their Face Recognition software on the live feed!
There is an enormous and quiet amassing of power here that TDB has been complaining about for over 3 years now.
Are the Police secretly gaining facial recognition mass surveillance powers without any of the checks and balances such invasive powers require?
Because everything looks like it’s ready to implement.
The National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism could expand the number of people the State categorise as a threat and justify real time face recognition mass surveillance.
Because The National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism are staffed by woke warriors, the Left seem oblivious to the potential misuse of these vast powers.
What happens if the appointed woke warriors, after providing political cover to expand vast mass surveillance over white supremacy Nazis get replaced if the Government changes?
Are we sure we know what level of power we are blithely handing over here?
A Police State starts with the promise of security.
Where’s Ginny in all of this?
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Will enough people will be concerned about this to put any meaningful pressure on the cops–hello media channels–any of you fuckers interested? Hello Academia? Hello NZCTU? Hello citizens at large?
Parliamentarians generally kowtow to the NZ Police by default. How many of todays MPs have ever been arrested, batoned, pepper sprayed or spent a night in the tender care and luxury of a police cell? How many have been unlawfully surveilled, photographed and pulled over for the crime of “driving a car while Māori”? I think you can guess the answer.
Martyn raises totally valid and obvious concerns but how is something going to be done about it is the question.
The filth know they are likely on a winner here. In the late 70s there was mass public protest over NZSIS powers, but neo liberal individualism ruled later. When photo driver licenses arrived most NZers instantly meekly complied, queuing at the malls to get their mugshots, and it has been all down hill since.
The Key Govt. boost to spooks budgets, and increased delegated spying powers to Govt. Depts., and lifetime identity suppression for says, was not contested. This led to Govt. Depts. hiring private spies to surveil people exercising their democratic rights of freedom of assembly, speech and association.
Speak up in your networks–lets get some reaction on this.
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