NYPD dons Google tech specs: Part man. Part machine. All Glasshole In the first step towards the future of law enforcement, New York's police department is beta-testing Google Glass to give its officers instant access to crime data. Just like the Terminator can analyse prospective Sarah Connors with a mere glance, the NYPD is hoping that the tech specs will allow cops to walk into a room and …
Eventually there will be discrimination legislation introduced to make it an offence to make fun of the google glass minorities who wear the things. In an attempt to prevent hurt feelings it will enable the courts to jail anyone who utters the words 'look at that knob-head wearing those things.
It will be deemed the same as any form of racism , genderism etc etc.
Repetitive Strain Injury.
Give it a couple of years and watch for all the lawsuits against the state by state officials who were forced to wear these things that,
A. Caused the person to injure themselves while being distracted.
B. Cause a third party death by running over them while distracted while driving to an emergency and killing an innocent passerby.
And the biggest one
C. Causing long term eye damage, headaches, and brain cancer to the employees forced to wear them.
Yup,
But not for the reason you think...
Suppose a glasshole police were to look at you, and from facial recognition determine you're a dangerous homicidal maniac. The cop arrests you and then detains you even though you can prove who you say you are...
That would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Then there is the issue of bad data where the glasshole determines that there's an outstanding warrant for you...
While the officer could claim 'good faith', the city would lose the case.
The only benefit would be that each police officer would be a walking CCTV.
Of course Google likes this because they will get all of the data to better market things to you...
So the next time a bunch of adult based entertainment pops up on your screen, it will be because some glasshole happened to be walking down the city street and glance at you as you come out of that adult bookstore....
Not for the reason YOU think either: The cops see "dangerous homicidal maniac" flash up and they will go straight to the fairly well documented* "Unload Magazines"-routine; if you are a blind octogenarian in a wheelchair, they will cap you, your pet, and a few bystanders with impunity - and get away with it too!
*) Soon, there will be a "Replace Police Officers With Armed Hoodies"-routine in all of the surveillance cameras.
Sounds like a huge invasion of privacy and has some big data protection implications... Oh, wait, we are talking about the USA here, so no worries there.
Hopefully it will blur out the faces of anybody in the room who hasn't signed a data protection waiver.
The way things are going it won't be too long before GG is built into riot police's helmet visors.
Citizen,!! .,,, you have ten seconds to comply........ 10 ..... 0
Zrrrg!!! poof
or
smack, smack
(depending on facial scan results).
Hope there aren't too many false positives.
I laughed at this, but only because this morning the satnav told me I was going to be 68 minutes late unless I took a diversion (along a road I knew to be blocked by fallen rocks), and then suddenly changed from 66 minutes to 11. The thought of a 55 minute long traffic jam suddenly evaporating reminded me of the old Windows and Mac file transfers which acted just as you describe - though it was one iteration of Mac OS that used to go from 1 minute remaining to about 2^30 hours remaining.
Or, to put this whole thing more succinctly, I really doubt that the network will deliver the performance that the NYPD would need. More like, as the unfortunate policeman reaches ER, the search will reveal that the guy who knifed him thirty minutes before was a known drug dealer.
So the cop walks into Times Square or a similarly crowded area, and the system either overloads and melts, or just spams his vision enough to be useless at best, and a safety issue at worst?
Plus I didn't think Google Glass came in a mirrored shades version yet? Or will that be a special police sunglasses edition?
No, really, Robocop had the HUD too with perp detection and so on...
... Not Terminator. He had it, but not for a strict crime prevention tool, more of a combat effectiveness and situational awareness tool. Cops shouldn't be comparing themselves to Terminator, who was, himself, a criminal.
"Terminator, who was, himself, a criminal"
According to the NSA..
"Terminator operates within the legal framework - since it's a machine and the people who programmed it haven't done so yet. Also, setting an autonomous killing machine loose on an intended target seems perfectly reasonable to us. Does he come with a stealth mode?"
I only wish I were joking, in fact I'd rather just ----------------->
bounty hunters pretty much fit this description and they are very real.
I know the far superior dark chocolate ones are a lot harder to get hold of than the milk choccie ones, but I didn't realise that the search had gone to this extent! No wonder I can't find them in my local newsagents any more...
> Cops shouldn't be comparing themselves to Terminator, who was, himself, a criminal.
That's OK, laws can be changed.
Lord knows, copying files or watching your legally bought DVD on Linux is apparently a criminal offense these days. Going back in time and killing a officially classified dangerous subversive is small potatoes.
A full face mask with a thin HD screen that shows the world your preferred avatar face, complete with voice and lip sync.
Plus built in G-Glass equivalent, phone and music/video player.
Also displays (rude) messages when in the proximity of annoying people, CCTV, et al.
See icon.
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
60AA Powers to require removal of disguises
(1)Where—
(a)an authorisation under section 60 is for the time being in force in relation to any locality for any period, or
(b)an authorisation under subsection (3) that the powers conferred by subsection (2) shall be exercisable at any place in a locality is in force for any period,
those powers shall be exercisable at any place in that locality at any time in that period.
(2)This subsection confers power on any constable in uniform—
(a)to require any person to remove any item which the constable reasonably believes that person is wearing wholly or mainly for the purpose of concealing his identity;
(b)to seize any item which the constable reasonably believes any person intends to wear wholly or mainly for that purpose.
"...those powers shall be exercisable at any place in that locality at any time [...] to seize any item which the constable reasonably believes any person intends to wear wholly or mainly for that purpose..." - So basically you're saying a cop can at any time come into one's house and procure himself unlimited gimp masks for free...?
Depending on the country, that's already forbidden. E.g in France, it has the amusing and completely unintended effect of banning Muslim-type face veils.
Quite. If cops have cameras attached to their faces all the time when on duty, then that should be recorded, stored and made accessible to all pertinent parties.
For instance, if you are arrested or searched by an officer, you or your attorney should be supplied with the footage from all officers who arrested/searched you.
If misconduct complaints are raised against an officer, this system should be made available to review their actions in the period in question.
If they roll out this without doing any of these things, it would be a sham. I have no problems with honest upstanding cops, but they are public servants whom we give a great deal of power, their actions should be accountable to us. Too frequently when one cop does something wrong, the rest clam up and cover ranks, they should be gagging for a system that records precisely what events occurred.
Many years ago, working on tank sights, I speculated that you could make a very effective air burst charge using inkjet printer ink, that would cover any surface in a cone in front of it with opaque black ink that would resist windscreen wipers. I am sure that something like this could be developed as a recording camera disruptor - non lethal, but effective.
INMNHO, having a video feed on law enforcement personnel is a GREAT idea. Not only does it add immediacy to their ability to verify ID etc., but more importantly, in the event of dangerous action, the public is further protected from abuse and Law Enforcement (by extention, the Taxpayer) is protected from unwarranted litigation costs. Having the ability to record events in real time, uploaded on a continuous basis is a win/win for all.
Almost all comments against, slagging off GG, slagging off what people look like when wearing them. Just like every other piece on GG that's ever appeared on ElReg.
And, just like all those other pieces, you guys are just not thinking ahead.
These things or their offspring, are going to be everywhere.
IF it done right that an AR glass with the right add ons (And no - GG is NOT the right one) can be very useful for police work by taking away a lot of the grunt work. I doubt the stuff will fit in a glass, more likely a combination shoulder cam / head display (the shoulder cam IS in test in some police departments). But that could dramatically speed up taking testimony at a traffic accident, doing the base recordings / pictures etc.
AR in general, again if done right (No device dependency, no 3G needed) can be a nice add on. Why take my computer out of the case if I want to read while on the train? AR projection through a low power PAN in my field of view and maybe voice (or a simple BT "mouse") for minor navigation and be done. AR because I would like to see my surroundings when outside of my home (so VR is out).
I think you are correct sir. I have felt for a long time, that people pointing and laughing at 'glassholes' are missing the point. Yes they look silly now, and possibly have limited functionality, but what about gen 2? Gen 3? Gen n? It's coming, and no amount of mocking is going to stop it. The tide of wearable tech is coming in. Gen 1 mobile phones were pretty silly, after all.
Umbrellas, bicycles, skateboards, all resulted in early adopters laughing at them. Some clothes were regarded as scandalous when they first appeared - respectable women at first regarded knickers as only suitable for prostitutes, and bikinis were regarded as a passing fad. Men in 17th century London wore high heels (height is an advantage in sword fighting), and today there are still British Army regiments that seem to compete for the silliest hat award.
And whoever thought that walking around wearing headphones would ever be socially acceptable?
So no, the big battalions are ranged against the people who object to GG because it looks silly.
... reminds me of the (probably apocryphal) story of John Heatherington's Top Hat:
"[he] appeared on the public highway wearing upon his head what he called a silk hat (which was shiny lustre and calculated to frighten timid people)" and the officers of the Crown stated that "several women fainted at the unusual sight, while children screamed, dogs yelped and a younger son of Cordwainer Thomas was thrown down by the crowd which collected and had his right arm broken"
--- Hatters' Gazette 1797
*NB: John Heatherington did not invent the Top Hat, and this story probably isn't true, even though that fact and this story was reported on QI.
Moore-ons, those who don't understand Moore's Law, also don't understand that 4x more sensors will soon be hanging from the headbands of those willing to pay more to have 'eyes in the back of their heads' so to speak. Moore-over, ubiquetous 802.11ac in public spaces will put a trial ready chain of evidence in the Prosecutor's Office within a millisecond. Further-Moore, headmounted nano chemistry labs are nearing feasibility.
Nature eliminated most of the progeny of animals that mounted their peripheral awareness capabilities away from their heads. Evolution takes several generations so watch for the word Glasshole and its user to die out gradually. Ngram it if you can.
There is surely some way for criminals to saturate their local wifi environment, so that there won't be enough bandwidth for the cops to download data quickly enough.
Or listening for thoses Glasses' MAC address being broadcast. Should be a good way to check for the undercover ones too.
If anyone is allowed to record what you do (like the police), it should be automatic that you can record them as well with no consequences. It should apply to all forms of recording, both audio and video. So when they announce on a phone call that they are recording for "training purposes", it is implied that you can record the conversation as well.
The same should apply to video recording in whatever form.
So what is good for the goose, is good for the gander.
As for RoboCop, they just released a new version of the movie (or can Hollywood come up with anything different?).
The large majority of drivers in Russia, particularly in the larger towns and cities all have dash cams facing fore and aft. Partly it is for insurance purposes as there are a lot of people who will slam on their anchors in the hopes of a large insurance settlement after you have arse ended them. The other reason is that if you are confronted by cops on the road in Russia they are the ones most likely to rob you by charging you with a fake crime/traffic violation and then allowing you to bribe your way out of it.
After hearing my wife who is Russian telling me about it, I am considering fitting cams in my old Disco as the driving where I live is appalling.
With something like 35000 cops in New York there are going to be a lot of Glassholes on the street.
IIRC he had a name and a city not a picture. So he simply went down the "Sarah Connors" in the telephone book, knocked and asked "Are you Sarah Connor"...
Since that time I always answer "No" if asked "Are you Max Mustermann"
Oh and "He is Spartakus!" (Pointing to Kirk Douglas)
really? nobody picked up on this lovely little snippet?
"....suspects and OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR REVIEW LATER."
but besides the orwellian nature of that somewhat scarey thought, whats to stop someone getting a UV QR code facial tattoo that causes glass to open a large 3d vr text layer covering said face stating something like "F@ck off you nosey b@st@rd"? or causes glass to download and run malware? would be invisible under normal circumstances (except under black light) but the camera on google glass would see it and process it just fine.
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