Confronting Automated Law Enforcement
Lisa Shay, Gregory Conti, Woodrow Hartzog, John Nelson & Dominic Larkin
Discussant: Mary Anne Franks

 

Franks:

• What does automation do to protect values of law enforcement?
• Definition of automated law enforcement- use input from unattended sensors to determine crime has been or will be committed, and takes responsive action, these systems capable of imposing some form of punishment
• Example- speed cameras
• Do we accept perfection?
• How to deal with system errors?
• Discusses social costs
• Rigidity- no play in the joints or to show mercy.
• Ceballos – California 1974; Spring-loaded shot gun.
• Tireless surveillance that never goes to sleep (Omniveillance)- if human, you have to look away, eventually. with automation, never need to look away.

Hartzog:

• In law are we looking for mercy, or some kind of explicit allowance for tolerance
• Build in buffer? Close-enough approximation so we are comfortable with it.

Q&A:

• What about automated law enforcement who can engage in unbiased searches? — Danielle Citron, automation bias, bias can be programmed.