don@allegra.UUCP (D. Mitchell) (04/09/84)
AI and criminology I totally agree with DW's article in net.crypt. Computer techniques would be used to keep track of "political criminals". Middle class intellectuals are far more vulnerable to this sort of control than are street criminals and drifters. Already, right wing organizations use this technology to keep track of people they consider politically dangerous, and while the government is not allowed to do this, they have received information from these organizations under the table. In some cases, victims are chosen simply by correlating magazine subscription information.
saquigley@watmath.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) (04/17/84)
I would recommend a very good article on the matter in the one before last
issue of "Science for the People" (unfortunately I do not have the issue under
my eyes, but I'd be willing to give more details if anybody's interested).
The article is titles "Computerised Big Brother, From a german perspective".
It seems that West Germany is well ahead of other countries in the use of
computers for internal police.
"In Germany there is a constitutional separation of powers between the secret
services and the police. In reality, their information systems have in part
become mutually shared and increasingly cross-linked. Firthermore, by citing
reasons of national security, the police and secret service can gain access
to data compiles in public or private data collections. For example, a
"social data bank" on 55 million people includes such information as medical
reports, income, job ability and so on.
.....
Border crossings into and out of East Germany are routinely registered by
customs agency computers, and Western bloc country border-crossings are also
often recorded. If leftist litterature is seen by officials during a customs
search, this can be recorded as well. Already underway are on-line connections
between BKA (equivalent of FBI) computers and the federal car license registra-
tion bureau as well as state agency address files. Even PUBLIC LIBRARIES (my
capitals (SQ)) have delivered data to these information systems. Many companies
in order to protect against sabotage, electronically collaborate with police
to check all employees for suspicious "anticonstitutional activities"
Anyone who deviates from "standard behaviour" will eventually appear in one
of these electronic files. "Deviants" include political activists, members of
communes, criminals and criminal suspects, alcoholics, drug abusers, homosexuals
and even people who have contacts with these."
(reprinted without permission)
It goes on like this. Definitely an interesting article even if what is said
is not really surprising.
Sophie Quigley
...!{clyde,ihnp4,decvax,allegra}!watmath!saquigley