Date:Wed 3/14/2001 2:34 PM
From: Isiah Davenport ([email protected])
Subject: When Your Mole Betrays You
Cool technology, bad use of it. This is "face-printing" ("When Your Mole Betrays You," Mar. 14, 2001). Taking a person's fingerprints, storing the image and using the image to compare it against a known bank of prints taken from criminals, is the same concept as the face scan. They both involve obtaining an image of a specific part of a person's body, storing the image and comparing that image to criminals. Would people approve of their fingerprints being taken when they go to a football game? Would people approve of their fingerprints being taken when they walk down the street? The answer is no. So why would I approve of another part of my body and biometric data being obtained, stored and compared against criminals without my permission? Where does the line get drawn on obtaining any specific information about my body without my permission?
If I commit a crime within society, I would not be abiding by society's rules and hence should not be given all the rights of law-abiding citizens. My fingerprints and picture should be taken as a permanent record of my crimes within reason. (A traffic ticket or other minor violation of the law shouldn't be used as an excuse to obtain such personal data, though.)
A security camera that is focused on a general area to watch and record possible criminal activity, is a great way to obtain evidence, and a record of any criminal activity that might occur in that area. But "face-printing" everyone in a crowd is a total invasion of privacy.
What if you're walking along a street, and someone grabs your face and gently presses it against a pane of glass to obtain a "face-print" and compare it to known criminals? How would you feel? What would you do? If this continued, would you not go to the police and demand action be taken so this person doesn't take your "face-print" anymore? The only difference is, no one is touching you. They are pointing a camera linked to a computer and doing the same thing.
