NYPD inaugurates extensive city wide surveillance system
August, 2012
New York City transformed into an Orwellian police state.
Washington, Crescent-Online
August 16, 2012, 17:30 EST
The NYPD has installed an extensive system of virtual surveillance around the city. The Domain Awareness System designed by the NYPD and Microsoft Corp. uses data from a network of cameras, radiation detectors, license plate readers and crime reports, as noted by NY Daily News. “We’re not your mom and pop police department anymore,” Mayor Bloomberg declared on unveiling the system. “We are in the next century. We are leading the pack.”
Civil rights activists have been outraged by the announcement, noting that it has transformed New York City into an Orwellian police state. “We fully support the police using technology to combat crime and terrorism, but law-abiding New Yorkers should not end up in a police database every time they walk their dog, go to the doctor, or drive around Manhattan,” said New York Civil Liberties Union Associate Legal Director Chris Dunn.
As expected by the news, this invasive access over the city has been justified by the ever present excuse of “terrorism.” This was highlighted by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly as one of the reasons such a system is needed: “We realized that we had the opportunity to create a powerful system to help combat both terrorism and conventional crime, city-wide” he declared.
As noted by Prison Planet, “The system allows NYPD 24/7 access to closed-circuit TV feeds from around the city while simultaneously cross-checking criminal and terrorist databases.” The Domain Awareness System also uses CCTV from about 3,000 cameras to allow police to “travel back in time” and see how certain crimes were committed.
The Domain Awareness System was developed at a price tag of $30 to $40 million with Microsoft, and as expected, turns in a hefty profit. The city hopes to sell the technology to other police departments around the country and "recoup all of our expenses over a period of time and maybe even make a few bucks.” Under the business agreement reached with Microsoft, the city will rake in 30 percent of the profits.
END
PTI vice chair shot dead in Karachi
Analyzing foreign instigated sectarianism in the Muslim world
American CIA agent expelled from Russia
Is Syrian endgame approaching?
Criminalization of political dissent in America
Views of a Canadian Priest who recently visited Syria
Injustices against Native Canadians may lead to insurgency – Canadian think-tank
Malcolm Shabazz murdered in Mexico
Erdogan forced to cool war rhetoric against Syria
People vote for old—and new—in Pakistan
Islamic Iran prepares for presidential elections
Muslim economists should assist BRICS
Pakistan’s violent election campaign winds down
Bradford Muslims rally to save synagogue
ICIT director’s Farsi translation of Seerah book launched
