In-flight surveillance could foil terrorists in the sky

[Newsjock]

Source: New Scientist

CCTV cameras are bringing more and more public places under surveillance – and passenger aircraft could be next.

A prototype European system uses multiple cameras and "Big Brother" software to try and automatically detect terrorists or other dangers caused by passengers.

The European Union's Security of Aircraft in the Future European Environment (SAFEE) project uses a camera in every passenger's seat, with six wide-angle cameras to survey the aisles. Software then analyses the footage to detect developing terrorist activity or "air-rage" incidents, by tracking passengers' facial expressions.

Read more: http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14013-inflight-surveillance-could-foil-terrorists-in-the-sky.html

[Sherman A1]

1. Yet another reason to not to fly

And they just keep adding to the list.

[ixion]

4. Yep, it continues to get worse

TSA is one of the most un-American departments ever, second only to DHS.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

12. Umm yes tsa stinks

but why use something being practiced by Europeans to bash them?

[AndyA]

5. Yeah, because flying is *SO ENJOYABLE* now, they just keep making it better.

Small seats. Rude passengers. People who dress like they're going to the pool when they fly. (Who wants to look as someone's armpit hair jutting out from their sleeveless T-shirt for 3 hours?) Lousy meals (if you get them). Extra charges for luggage that you can't take with you if it's too big, but pay extra for to check. And then they go through it, wrinkling everything.

I once saw my opened suitcase come off the carousel, with my underwear hanging out!

Go early, stand in line and wait...wait...wait...and pay out the nose for it.

I'm with you, Sherman: So many reasons to NOT fly, and so few reasons TO fly.

[unpossibles]

2. there goes the Mile High club nt

[Echo In Light]

3. Wow, the BS just keeps a comin' from Big Brother, Inc

[treestar]

6. How would they detect it any sooner than it was undertaken?

What behavior shows that terrorist activity is forthcoming - it would have to be at a stage before the obvious evidence of terrorist activity for this to be in any way useful.

[VP505]

9. WHAT, doncha know

that bogymen makes faces before they attack? :scared: Its not like the BEST time to detect terrorists is BEFORE they board the aircraf. :sarcasm:

[uppityperson]

13. That was my thought also.

giving it all the benefit of the doubt, software detects someone is nervous (maybe they are scared of being out of control if plane crashes) or blank eyed (flying home for parent's funeral) or wearing a scarf around their neck (eating at too many dunkin' donuts). EEEEEEEEoooooeEEEEEEEEEoooooooo, off goes an alarm. And....? What then?

So if someone were to want to do something bad, the camera would catch them in the process. And...?

How many new jobs does this technology add, how much money will it add to a ticket?

[Fleshdancer]

7. and how much are they going to charge passengers for this?

They'll spend too much money on this, piss everyone off, and in a few years there will be a 20/20 investigative report on how no one is watching the surveillance due to budget cuts.

Ridiculous and unnecessary.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

8. Sounds like a great way to sell a lot of cameras and software

and a really dumb way to catch terrorists.

[ladjf]

10. The only hope for people's privacy is that eventually there will

be too much data collected to process. In other words, they will be choking on the sheer volume of
mostly meaningless data. Sooner or later all storage device become full and all databases get too
large to process effectively.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

11. At first I was thinking cabin cams (not bad)

but in every seat... gas prices be damned Im not tolerating that so Ill drive..