FC: Virginia legislature won't enact limits on facecams

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Politech facecam archive:
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From: Anonymous User <anonymous () remailer havenco com>
To: declan () well com
Subject: WashTimes: Restraints shelved on facial-recognition
Date: Thu,  7 Mar 2002 14:56:28 +0000 (UTC)

From The Washington Times, available online at:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20020305-14688454.htm

Restraints shelved on facial-recognition
By Daniel F. Drummond
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
March 5, 2002

RICHMOND - A bill that would have required a judge's approval to use
facial-recognition software was shelved yesterday by a Senate panel,
leaving localities unchecked in implementing the technology.

Virginia Beach plans to start using the software to find felons and
runaways beginning May 31, but House Majority Leader Delegate H. Morgan
Griffith said better safeguards are needed to ensure the technology is
not abused.

"The technology scares me," Mr. Griffith, Salem Republican and sponsor
of the bill, told the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.

[...]

Mr. Griffith said the bill will come up during next year's General
Assembly session. It passed the House of Delegates three weeks ago in a
74-25 vote.

[...]

Mr. Griffith said surveillance cameras have proliferated recently, and
cited the rooftop cameras installed in the District after September 11.
His bill, he said, would curb that proliferation.

But the chairman of the committee, Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, said he did
not see anything wrong with the technology.

"Why should we want to limit law enforcement's access to those
databases?" asked Mr. Stolle, a Republican from Virginia Beach and
former police officer there.

Mr. Stolle said the facial-recognition technology enables police to
instantly match criminals to databases that contain their criminal
records.

"It's public record," Mr. Stolle said.

[...]




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