According to the ABAJournal Law News Now several police departments are getting devices that can scan irises, recongnize faces and collect fingerprints. This raises questions about privacy and civil liberties. Here's an excerpt:
Currently the technology, called “Moris” for Mobile Offender Recognition and Information System, is used by the military to identify insurgents. But B12 has contracts to sell about 1,000 of the Moris devices to 40 police agencies, the story says.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed George Washington University law professor Orin Kerr about the legal implications. Generally, police can take pictures of anyone in a public space. But after an officer stops or detains someone, police need “reasonable suspicion” to take fingerprints.
Whether a warrant will be needed to use facial recognition or an iris scan is “a gray area of the law,” Kerr said. "A warrant might be required to force someone to open their eyes."
Read the article here.
Posted by Jon Lutz
