The fact that terrorists abound in the ranks of metalheads seems to have got around to the English police. How else can it be explained that at the English Download Festival in Donnington Park the police scanned the faces of every single one of 90 festival-goers and compared them with a list of wanted criminals from all over Europe.
Officials speak of "strategically placed" cameras that monitored around 90 visitors over the weekend. This was the first time facial recognition had been used outdoors in England, English media reports. The police themselves have to admit that the number of criminal offenses during the festival has fallen sharply: while 000 offenses were recorded in 2013, the number fell to 301 in 2014 - a decrease of around 91 percent. “It is still too early for the definitive figures from the current year. But there are indications that the number has remained low,” says a police representative with the BBC.
The case could set a precedent. The technology is an efficient measure against criminals. In addition, the data is handled with care and has already been deleted. The "Independent» reports that various other organizers have already inquired about the technology. England's data protection officers have less understanding for the measure. Renate Samson from the "Big Brother Watch" initiative said she was "greatly concerned". She also believed that criminals should be caught. "But I think that innocent people at festivals that they paid a lot of money for should have a good time without having to feel constantly monitored by the police," Samson quoted the BBC as saying.
This is one of the first attempts to monitor large areas of the population using facial recognition. The argument with the criminals is just a pretext. The whole show is mainly used to test the reliability of the technology.
(via Vice)
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