Proposal to Use Tech Company Surveillance Platforms to Predict Mass Shooters
September 2nd, 2019
Via: Vanity Fair:
Donald Trump is finally considering taking action to prevent mass shootings—not by enacting gun-control measures, but with a creepy proposal to somehow identify the “neurobehavioral signs” of “someone headed toward a violent explosive act.” According to the Washington Post, which first reported on the secret project under White House consideration Thursday, the administration has been briefed multiple times on a plan to create a new government agency whose powers would include sussing out individuals it regards as potential threats—a dystopian aim that will likely inspire blowback from both privacy and mental-health advocates.
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HARPA would develop “breakthrough technologies with high specificity and sensitivity for early diagnosis of neuropsychiatric violence,” says a copy of the proposal. “A multi-modality solution, along with real-time data analytics, is needed to achieve such an accurate diagnosis.”
The document goes on to list a number of widely used technologies it suggests could be employed to help collect data, including Apple Watches, Fitbits, Amazon Echo and Google Home. The document also mentions “powerful tools” collected by health-care provides like fMRIs, tractography and image analysis.
