AI security camera system
Surveillance cameras supported by artificial intelligence that can recognize faces and identify people are common in many countries, and the stated goal of deploying and using these cameras is to monitor people in public places in order to identify suspected persons, who are likely to commit crimes or legal violations.
Many organizations and individuals warn of these cameras and consider them a violation of privacy, especially after artificial intelligence systems have developed so that they are no longer able to identify not only people but also those they meet.
Monitoring system from the company Vintra Corporation (Vintra)
It is an American company that has developed an artificial intelligence system called co-appearance or link analysis. This system can analyze photos and video clips captured by surveillance cameras and find, within a few minutes, anyone caught by the cameras, in addition to the people they met. The system is so sophisticated and smart that it excludes people who have passed by or happened to be near the person.
The company showed a video showing the system in action. In the video, a man appears walking in the lobby of an office holding a cup of coffee, not realizing that he is being monitored by a set of cameras that send their data to an artificial intelligence system that monitors the place, determines his location and identifies him, in addition to identifying the people he met. The system was quickly able to identify the person, analyze previous videos the man had appeared in, and then identify another man he had met.
Is this system used today?
This system was officially launched last year, and the company is marketing it as a system to identify people who appear jointly in surveillance cameras, and the company says that this is very useful in order to identify dangerous people and people who cooperate with them. On its website, the company is proud of its relationship with some institutions and law enforcement agencies, such as the Florida Police Department, and this indicates that the system may have become used in some US states and perhaps in other countries, as police departments usually use new technology without disclosing it.
Benefits and risks of this system
There are potential benefits and risks to using this system. On the one hand, it can be used to enhance public security and safety. On the other hand, it can be used badly. Therefore, the benefits and risks should be studied well before deciding whether or not to use it.
- Benefits The benefits of the system mainly include enhancing public security and safety by helping law enforcement agencies to identify people who collaborate with criminals. In this way, law enforcement agencies will not only be able to arrest criminals, but also dismantle criminal networks.
For example, when surveillance cameras capture a person selling or distributing drugs in a public place, the system can identify all the people he met, so everyone who helped him bring and distribute drugs can be arrested, in addition to everyone who dealt with him and bought drugs from him.
- Risks This monitoring system is not without risks. These risks relate to two cases: misuse and errors that may occur. Bad use means that some parties use the system to monitor their opponents and the people they met, as this may lead to the arrest of people who have not committed any crime.
Errors in the operation of the system are also possible and may have serious consequences.Imagine that you are walking in the street and passing next to a person who has committed a crime or a legal violation, and the artificial intelligence system identifies you, believing that you are his friend or collaborator, in this case, you may be interrogated or arrested you.
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How can risks be avoided?
In fact, there is no way that can guarantee that the system will be used and functioning in the correct way, but some measures can help, such as: enacting laws and legislation that regulate the use of artificial intelligence-supported surveillance systems.
- Institutions are not allowed to use these systems without disclosing that.
- Test systems thoroughly before using them to ensure they do not make mistakes that could cause suspicion in innocent people.
- Prevent technology companies from selling surveillance systems to countries with poor human rights records.