California cops hope to expand facial recognition, “eCrime” head says

[jakeXT]

SAN FRANCISCO—California’s top digital cop told an assembled crowd of law enforcement, civil libertarians, and concerned citizens that the “possibilities are limitless” when it comes to using facial recognition to solve crimes.

“It doesn’t require a front face shot,” Robert Morgester, the senior assistant attorney general and the head of the state’s eCrime Unit, said on Wednesday. “The software has become so robust that you can do a side shot. If mugshots are in use—each region has their own database of mugshots—and agents can query pictures of a known suspect.”

That was just one of a handful of surveillance technologies that Morgester ran through—he explored the law enforcement benefits of not only facial recognition, but also mobile DNA testing, license plate readers, and drones. He faced off with an attorney from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Jennifer Lynch, who eloquently articulated counter-arguments and raised privacy concerns.

The two of them spoke during a forum on Wednesday called “Protecting Our Communities, Respecting Our Liberties,” which was organized by the California Attorney General’s Office


http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/01/california-cops-to-expand-use-of-facial-recognition-ecrime-head-says/