NZ reaction to Police face tech powers hilariously laid back
I love that Kiwis are so ignorant and with such low horizon imaginations that issues which generate concern overseas aren’t even recognised here…
High-tech investigative tools being imported by the police are attracting controversy overseas.
Many of these are capable of facial recognition, though police say they are not using this on the public. Police earlier this year did a tech stocktake which they made public.
The advanced systems they are spending tens of millions on are being deployed often after wide adoption overseas, particularly by US law enforcement.
“Police do not use public-facing or ‘live’ facial recognition technology,” police said in a statement.
This function is, however, an integral feature of many systems, which suggests police may be paying to use a fraction of a system’s power. The tech’s use is constrained by the Privacy Act, and Search and Surveillance Act 2012, but various researchers have said these need to be updated, given more teeth, or added to with laws specifically regulating biometrics, and facial recognition in particular.
“There is currently no official position on this, and no legal or regulatory barrier to the police deployment of this technology,” a research report said on Friday.
…it’s like the Chinese spy inside the National Party story.
Every time a foreign news media outlet wrote about the story, they were always bemused that NZers were just accepting of National having a spy inside the Party.
We are so intellectually casual about some things we are horizontal.
Mass surveillance spying, abuse of police powers, political corruption, these issues are a bit ‘big’ for low imagination sleepy hobbits, but Argentina beating us at rugby, banning freedom campers and the tyrannically correct pronunciation of Te Reo – THOSE THINGS we can all bond over.
That’s who we is, this is what we are.
Cast your mind back to May and the sudden revelation that the NZ Police were trialling mass surveillance face recognition tech without any clearance…
Police trials facial recognition tech without clearance
Police conducted a trial of controversial facial recognition software without consulting their own bosses or the Privacy Commissioner.
The American firm Clearview AI’s system, which is used by hundreds of police departments in the United States and several other countries, is effectively a search engine for faces – billing itself as a crime-fighting tool to identify perpetrators and victims.
New Zealand Police first contacted the firm in January, and later set up a trial of the software, according to documents RNZ obtained under the Official Information Act. However, the high tech crime unit handling the technology appears to have not sought the necessary clearance before using it.
…and then days later after that revelation the Police were doing a ‘stocktake’ of this face recognition software that no one had been given permission to use…
Police ‘stocktake’ surveillance tech after Clearview AI facial recognition trial
Last week, RNZ revealed police conducted hundreds of searches, including for suspects, using American software Clearview AI.
The trial, conducted between February and March, did not have the necessary sign-offs from the Police Commissioner, the Privacy Commissioner and the Cabinet.
Police said they do not intend to use Clearview because it was ineffective in New Zealand.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster today said he had ordered a stocktake of any similar software being used.
“I’ve commissioned a stocktake of any surveillance-type technologies that we may be using or trialing to make sure that there’s nothing equivalent [to Clearview],” Coster said
…so the NZ Police used 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, they then hold 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?
How the fuck are the cops getting away with this?
They were caught trailing face recognition software with no approval, tell the public they will take a stocktake of these types of unapproved tests and the next thing we hear is they’ve actually gone ahead with a face recognition network?
It’s like calling the fire service to deal with a fire and them arriving with petrol to put out the flames.
The Police can’t get busted using unapproved mass surveillance programs, then tell the public they are looking into it to make sure that doesn’t happen again, and then get caught putting that mass surveillance system in place!
This requires URGENT investigation. The Police have been underhand and incredibly deceitful about this, and that doesn’t inspire any faith at all.
If the cops are going to be this malicious with the truth, why would we trust them with this vast unchecked power?
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Golly Martin, can you not see that is in all of our best interests to form a stasi type agency to protect us from evil heteronormitive white males?
It’s ok becus the power will be used for control and oppression, which is the only legitimate use of power. Try this experirment: make up a story (you know, like how the media do) about surveilence in the police or any government agency concerned with social issues, and say the data is being collected to provide certain people with “free housing” or discounted medicines. Stand back and listen to the howls of rage about privacy and mandate. Freedom from oppression, white monied NZ (and anyone wishing they where culturally white) dont wannit, unless it’s the freedom to be the oppressor. When you see that kind of shit you’re staring into the shallow zombie face of mainstream NZ culture. You can do anything illegal in NZ if you’re a sadist or coward.
I love that Kiwis are so ignorant and with such low horizon imaginations that issues which generate concern overseas aren’t even recognised here… Yes agree this typical slack shell be right kiwi attitude until something bad happens. I see the Islamic Womens Council are calling for our Governments failings to be sorted after the horrendous chch terrorist attack. I think the failings showed how a white supremacist can get away with shooting himself and purchasing dangerous firearms and ammunition highlights how a white person can get away with out the proper checks being done cause he is white.
Covid is pa – If you think that a casualty doctor in the public health sector should be automatically suspicious when a patient presents with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, that he could be a terrorist because he is white,
that’s pushing things. They are over-burdened enough as it is, dealing with all the drunks and dope heads of every colour – and are already leading lights in alerting the police about battered babies; God help us all if the medical profession is required to analyse every accident turning up at casualty departments. Not their job, and I’m not sure if it should be either.
Have you checked whether gun license applications record the ethnicity of the applicant ? I assume that you have, given that you seem to be making pretty racist sort of assumptions.
What I find really funny is why the cops have not connected the dots and asked why so few people actually trust or help them these days. Like the shooting in the far north – if the cops act like criminals nobody really cares when other criminals take shots at them – people might go “that’s bad”. But in reality, people will not lift a finger to support or help a police force which they perceive to be bent and deeply racist.
Let’s face it folks, “they” are everywhere. Cameras and high technology facilities/devices, now known to exceed the current global human population of nearly 8 billion.
The reality? That quiet examination (legal and legitimate) by a number of academic institutions engaged in human sciences research over decades has pretty much confirmed that about every man, woman, child, (and perhaps even their domestic pets) are more inclined than not to be both intrusive for legitimate purposes as well as downright nosey and often intrusive simply out of curiosity, to gain some advantage, or just for the Hell of it.
The research information is out there openly on the www and it is vast. And so the reality of intrusive human behavior by the “good folk” is not “hidden” in some dark corner of the net or on some website supported by cloak, proxy or any spoofing mechanism.
Sorry people. It is the 21st century and so many more within the global community are beginning to know about each other a whole lot better and are also consequently being given a much better opportunity to examine each other a lot more deeply than ever before, (if they choose to do so).
Having stated all of the above, there is no doubt that in-depth surveillance by many parties (not just the so-called Big Brother or Nanny State) can be Hell of a scary for many folk, and with some justification.
The Anne Tolley styled words and the words of millions of others to the effect that people not having done anything “wrong” have nothing to worry about is just a little silly, (and is both quite lame and dangerous as well).
Most New Zealanders certainly don’t appear to be spending their time playing hide and seek with authorized agencies carrying out specified observation solely for legitimate purpose, but they do (with justification) now seem to have put a little more effort these days into taking advantage of incognito and “pretty good privacy” options without guilt, so as to better manage potential repercussions from the Big Sisters, Little Brothers and the Little Sisters of this global audio-visual, IT/AI world.
“I love that Kiwis are so ignorant and with such low horizon imaginations that issues which generate concern overseas aren’t even recognised here… Mass surveillance spying, abuse of police powers, political corruption, these issues are a bit ‘big’ for low imagination sleepy hobbits,
how the fuck are the cops getting away with this ? ”
ha ha r u serious !! truth always wants to come out ! in this case u genuinely do “love it” that kiwis r so ignorant on the “big” issues cause it means your doing your job…..
they get away with it cause operatives like u attempt to abuse, discredit & discourage any questions the Hobbit’s may ask of the pricks they pay to administer & deliver the peoples will.
labelling them dangerous & must b silenced, next minute expecting people to believe our police are in cahoots with others to disadvantage the citizens they serve ??? sounds like u carrying water for Billy TK