NCJ Number
197387
Journal
Crime & Justice International Volume: 18 Issue: 65 Dated: September 2002 Pages: 11,13,32,34
Date Published
September 2002
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the subject of privacy amid the proliferation of electronic surveillance.
Abstract
The rapid development of technology and the need for law enforcement to adapt to this rapid development has led to the proliferation of electronic surveillance. Two tools, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) DSC1000 (Carnivore) and biometrics (facial recognition) have been developed to aid in the identification and apprehension of criminals. The law enforcement successes from implementing these tools may come with the cost of individual privacy. Carnivore is described as a commercially available one-way taping instrument, which is placed at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) access point. It provides the FBI with the ability to distinguish between communications that may be lawfully intercepted and those that may not. This device has brought the FBI under intense public scrutiny. The argument has three supporting points: (1) the legal protection afforded by Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; (2) the legal deterrents to law enforcement malfeasance; and (3) the physical controls over Carnivore. The FBI claims that the legal ramifications for unauthorized electronic surveillance will effectively deter officials using Carnivore from engaging in wrongdoing. Biometrics is widely used by everyone in society as a means of identifying each other. Devices that capture biometric identifiers like fingerprints, iris/retina, or facial patterns have been developed. These devices can make comparisons of an identifier to an “authentic” sample stored digitally in a database. Several areas of privacy concern have been identified for facial recognition technology. These include storage, authenticity, and the inevitable ubiquity of cameras in society. Biometric technologies have enormous power over individuals. They should be openly debated and discussed with the issues of individual privacy and national security in mind. 13 references