Authorities in Puerto Rico have surreptitiously experimented with a new type of ankle bracelet-one that doubles as a listening device and can be switched on without the knowledge of the person wearing the bracelet. A barrage of legal authorities, including William Ramirez, Executive Director of the ACLU in Puerto Rico, expressed concern that this device was a violation of an individual’s rights. Ben Wizner, head of the ACLU in Washington DC, shared Ramirez’ worries and said he had never heard of such a device.
This is an issue that has been raised many times in this blog: where is this technology going? As these devices become more sophisticated and we continue to have little regulation or standarization of electronic monitoring regimes, the possibilities for further infringement of individual liberties as well as tighter systems of control abound.
For the story on this “ankle bracelet that may be listening” visit: http://www.thecrimereport.org/news/inside-criminal-justice/2013-10-caution-your-gps-ankle-bracelet-is-listening
October 11, 2014 at 2:14 am
wow, this reminds me of the cameras they want to put in cable boxes (already have a prototype ), for which they claim is to help advertisers (example: you’re fooling around with someone, and a condom advertisement comes on). this is beyond creepy, and I won’t have it in my home