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The US Facial Recognition Database Hiding In Plain Sight
It’s only natural to be a little skeeved out by the idea that the government is slurping up your private data behind the scenes, but there’s a very public piece of your data being collected as well: the look on your face. There’s already a national database of over 120 million faces in the US, and the Washington Post reports that it’s slowly turning into the ultimate police tool.
US Supreme Court: Human Genetic Material Can’t Be Patented
Big news from the east side of Capitol Hill: It’s not OK to patent genetic material taken from the human body. Or at least it’s not OK in the eyes of the highest court in the United States. SCOTUS took on the controversial and somewhat futuristic case earlier this year, and with all the torrid discussion about updating all patent laws, everyone knew that this decision would be a landmark one.
How The US Needs To Legislate Drones
All but seven states in the US have proposed or adopted legislation relating to the domestic use of drones, or unmanned aerial systems, in domestic airspace, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Now, at the invitation of the Aerospace States Association, EFF has rung in with the three crucial elements that all drone legislation must contain to balance privacy rights with free-speech concerns.
US State Department Demands Removal Of 3D-Printed Gun Plans
After finding its way to over 100,000 hard drives in a matter of mere days, the blueprints for the world’s first fully 3D-printed gun have finally been pulled from the designer’s website at the request of the US State Department. Being digital files for highly regulated weapons, 3D-printed gun blueprints currently fall into a bit of a legal grey area, namely with export control laws known as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
How Automated Licence Plate Readers Threaten Privacy
Law enforcement agencies are increasingly using sophisticated cameras, called “automated licence plate readers”, or ALPR, to scan and record the licence plates of millions of cars across the United States. These cameras, mounted on top of patrol cars and on city streets, can scan up to 1800 licence plates per minute, day or night, allowing one squad car to record more than 14,000 plates during the course of a single shift.
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