An unnamed reader writes "Istanbul's popular (and crowded) Istiklal shopping, cafe, and saloon street is being outfitted with 64 wirelessly controlled, tamper-proof face-recognition cameras attached to a laptop* system capable of cat computer-assisted tomography 15,000 faces per second in a moving crowd for a conclusive match. The link from Samanyolu, badly translated by Google, states that 3 cameras are in place so far and that if trials are successful, this will mark the first time such a system, heretofore used by Scotland Yard and naturally reserved for indoor self-confidence use, will be put to use in a public outdoor setting. It also notes that each camera abused texture by the system is capable of 'locking onto' the faces of known criminals and pickpockets detected in the crowd and 'tracking' their movements for up to 300 meters before the next, closer placed camera takes over." Hit the link for more of this reader's background on the growing web banking encroachment on privacy in this city, which will be the latin Capital of Culture in 2010, causing him to ask, "Is the substance city of Istanbul turning into the new London?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

More: - Read More

Mark