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December 3, 2007

Sex offenders the focus of a new technocorrection innovation

Today NPR's Morning Edition had this extended segment on the latest technocorrections innovation that, perhaps unsurprisingly, is focused on helping to track sex offenders.  The story is entitled "Iris Scanning Tracks Sex Offenders," and here is the summary:

Law enforcement officials are tracking sex offenders with a new biometric tool: iris scanning. Jurisdictions in seven states are experimenting with technology that takes a picture of an offender's iris, stores it in a national database, and can be used to identify those who fail to re-register whenever they move from their home community.

Like all good pieces on technocorrections, the audio segment begins with an extended sci-fi movie reference.

December 3, 2007 at 10:57 AM | Permalink

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Comments

Iris scanning is not a new technology (and it is by no means free of problems) evidently what is new is that they have a portable scanning unit that officers can use in the field. I guess the issue is can it be used for pre-arrest identification. Now an officer can arrest the subject take them in for booking and identification and then release them after they have been identified. This new system would be much quicker and no doubt would be used more often. If it can be abused it will be abused and that no doubt is why the ACLU is concerned..

Posted by: | Dec 3, 2007 11:51:07 AM

seems to me that anytime anyone wants to pass legislation or sell techy gadgets that are crossing the lines of being unconstitutional all they have to do is tie it to sex offenders or terrorists and the sky's the limit..
because of people's ignorance and blind hysteria about sex offenders I cannot believe the civil rights that have been denied to this group of people one by one over the last few years.....people better wake up because they could be the next targeted group.

Posted by: jamie | Dec 3, 2007 5:57:59 PM

No doubt this is an easy sell to law enforcement. I believe that any proposed new product being sold to the government should first be investigated in terms of who will financially benefit. How is the product or concept being sold and by who. It is also not difficult to sell government workers on the need for new technology and gadgets - they can always make the case for it.
Beth

Posted by: beth curtis | Dec 3, 2007 7:21:22 PM

My only question is, how is an iris scan any better than a fingerprint scan? I think it's novel and quite impractical, nothing beats the conveniences of a finger print scan. Why only use it on registered sex offenders?

"Law enforcement officials are tracking sex offenders with a new biometric tool: iris scanning. Jurisdictions in seven states are experimenting with technology that takes a picture of an offender's iris, stores it in a national database, and can be used to identify those who fail to re-register whenever they move from their home community." HOW SO?????????

This defies the laws of stupidity!

Albert Einstein

Posted by: Albert Einstein | Dec 4, 2007 1:02:04 PM

beeen thinking about this.....


I suppose it could work from a long distance if it were developed with that kind of sophisticated accuracy, scary how it could be used for commercial purposes too. I don't think anyone would be comfortable having invisible spectrum laser light projected into their eye ball on every street corner and in every shopping mall, airport, political opponent. Just think of the potential for this technology in the commercial marketing industry.

Albert Einstein :-[ ~cringes in horror~ :-[

Posted by: Albert Einstein | Dec 4, 2007 1:29:18 PM

Gives that song by Corey Hart a whole new meaning:

Artist: Corey Hart
Song : Sunglasses At Night

"I wear my sunglasses at night so I can so I can Watch you weave then breath your story lines. . .

. . .so I can Keep track of the visions in my eyes. . .

. . .Don't masquerade with the guy in shades oh no I can't believe it!...

. . .See the light that's right before my eyes. . . .

. . .Forget my name while you collect your cla1. . .

. . .While she's deceiving me it cuts my security. . .

Albert Einstein

Posted by: Albert Einstein | Dec 4, 2007 2:12:36 PM

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