Germany in 'Stasi scent tactic' is collecting scents from G8 protesters to track them in crowds

[BurtWorm]

This tactic, by the way, is also being pursued by the US supposedly to track "terrorists."


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6683803.stm


Sniffer dogs can use the collected odours to pick out individuals

The German authorities are compiling a database of human scents to track down possible violent protesters at the G8 summit in June, local media report.

The method, once used by East Germany's secret police, the Stasi, involves collecting scent samples in advance from selected targets.

The scents are then passed to police equipped with sniffer dogs who can pick the individuals out amidst a crowd.

...According to German media reports, most of the odour-collecting happened in dawn raids on the homes of suspected troublemakers.

Those targeted say they had scent samples taken from their clothes and other belongings or directly from sweat on the palms of their hands.

...

Petra Pau, a politician with the opposition Left Party, described the move "as another step away from a democratic state of law toward a preventive security state".

"A state that adopts the methods of the East German Stasi, robs itself of every... legitimacy," she said in a statement.

...

[The2ndWheel]

1. Post of the day

The one in the Breaking News forum about the UK and their flying anti-social drones is up on the list too.

A scent database? Yeah, the world has far bigger problems than Bush.

[RedCappedBandit]

2. What is the world coming to?

Of course, here in the US we're too preoccupied with trying to dictate who can or can not be married to take notice of important issues such as this..

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. What is the German equivalent for...

"The more things change, the more things stay the same"?

[Marnieworld]

4. Patchouli

That's all I ever smell at those things.