Texas Police Are Now Using Facial Recognition Technology. Should You Be Afraid?

Big Brother now has a cowboy hat.

Dallas Police are set to begin using facial recognition technology. This new tech allows police to scan social media and the internet and then uses the results with an A.I. program to I.D. people. Police could actually pick someone out of a large concert crowd and start honing in on their search. They could also match a security camera photo with say, a Facebook profile pic.

I'm all for capturing bad guys, but it bothers some people that they'll be scanned, even though they haven't done anything. How this technology protects an innocent persons comings-and-goings is a good question, and I wonder if hackers can get that information.  It will also be interesting if innocent people can somehow use this technology to establish their alibi.

I can also see how this technology can become a little cumbersome to businesses. Would they have to provide store footage if the police requested it? Is it really worth it to them to have that footage if it's going to be a regular request? Ground-breaking technology like this will have us asking a whole bunch of questions.

It often seems like we're giving up our freedoms a little bit at a time. You apparently have no right to privacy outside of your home and even then your phone, computer, and even security cameras are tracking you. I've heard people say, "It shouldn't bother you if you're not breaking the law", but what if they day comes when an unjust law is put into place? The technology is here, it's being put to use, and it's time to start asking questions.