Cameras scanned fans for criminals

Super Bowl fans had their privacy invaded
by the technology, critics say. Law officials
cite security.

By ROBERT TRIGAUX

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 31, 2001


TAMPA -- Were you one of the 100,000 fans and workers
to pass through the stadium turnstiles at Sunday's Super
Bowl? Did you smile for the camera?

Each and every face that entered Raymond James Stadium
for the big game was captured by a video camera connected
to a law enforcement control room inside the stadium.

In milliseconds, each facial image was digitized and checked
electronically against the computer files of known criminals,
terrorists and con artists of the Tampa Police Department,
the FBI and other state and local law enforcement agencies.

Sunday's Super Bowl was the first major sporting event to
adopt the face-matching surveillance system. But the
designers of the system expect other security-sensitive
sporting events, ranging from the upcoming 2002 Winter
Olympics in Salt Lake City to the hooligan-plagued soccer
leagues in parts of Europe, to express great interest.

The point? To gain immediate identification of people who
have past ties to illegal activities. Images of individuals
captured by the database system are not stored
permanently, but could be used on game day if there is
criminal activity at the stadium or law enforcement officials
see someone wanted for a serious crime.

The problem? Most Super Bowl fans had no clue their faces
were being checked for matches with criminals.

"I find it disturbing," said privacy expert Christine L.
Borgman, professor and presidential chair in information
studies at the University of California in Los Angeles. "It
smacks of Big Brother societies that keep watch over
people."

Security officials counter that the database system is no
more and possibly less intrusive than videotape cameras
already in use at convenience stores, shopping malls or
schools.

In cooperation with the Tampa Sports Authority, the Super
Bowl surveillance system was also used this past week at
the NFL Experience adjacent to the stadium.

The system, which relies on "biometric" technology to
recognize faces, continues to be used by the Tampa Police
Department in Ybor City, where 22 cameras monitor the
entertainment district. Police have used cameras to watch for
fights and crime in Ybor for several years, but recently those
cameras were linked directly to the police department's own
database of mug shots.

"Places where large crowds are present, such as sporting
events, are tempting targets for all types mischief, criminal
behavior and larger threats," said Tom Colatosti, president
of Viisage Technology in Littleton, Mass., whose software
runs the face-identification system known as "FaceTrac."

"The security undertaking for a game like the Super Bowl is
extraordinary," he said. "Law enforcement is concerned
about potential problems ranging from scalping tickets and
pickpockets to aerial anthrax attacks."

At Sunday's Super Bowl, any individuals matched with
photo files in the database could be questioned or detained
by officers of the joint task force who were circulating
throughout the stadium complex.

Several technology executives said Tuesday that their
surveillance system did match a few fan faces with database
mugs during the Super Bowl event.

However, Tampa Police Department spokesman Joe Durkin
said the system did not match any known con artist or
terrorist, and there were no resulting arrests. The Police
Department's network of cameras operating in Ybor's
entertainment district was upgraded and tied to the new
face-recognition system "within the last couple of weeks,"
Durkin said.

Is the new surveillance system the latest twist on Big
Brother? Face-matching surveillance already is well
established at more than 70 casinos. But the system's biggest
opportunities lie in more benign functions: Identifying
customers at ATMs or participants in welfare programs, and
screening people who want to enter secure workplace
areas.

At Raymond James Stadium, surveillance system cameras
were focused only on people entering at turnstiles. No
cameras were used inside to pan the fans inside. But
cameras did sweep the crowds at the NFL Experience,
indicating the growing reach of database systems to try and
match faces even in large groups.

At UCLA, professor Borgman questioned the technical
ability of a system to identify individual faces so quickly.

"If these surveillance systems spread, there may be a
considerable margin of error in determining the identity of
people who get snagged," she said. "And that is a big price
to pay for your civil rights."

- Contact Robert Trigaux at trigaux@sptimes.com  or (727) 893-8405.

Source:
http://www.sptimes.com/News/013101/TampaBay/Cameras_scanned_fans_.shtml 

Robert Trigaux