Minority Report

World View columnist Paul Raines is concerned about the possible implications of combining networked surveillance and behavioral observation

But seriously, since facial expressions, posture and body movements are often the product of a person's cultural background, intelligent surveillance technology has the potential of degenerating into the next generation of racial and cultural profiling. If you don't come from a white Anglo-Saxon background then you might face a lifetime of being pulled aside for questioning by security personnel. It's possible that the technology might eventually be refined to ascertain a person's cultural background based on appearance and then match it with the appropriate behavioural profile for that culture. Given the increasing number of inter-cultural marriages and people with multiple ethic backgrounds I doubt this could ever be done effectively.

What scares me more, though, is the potential of this technology for behavioural modification. Once the word gets out as to what body and facial movements are considered suspect, would everyone then start conforming to a single standard of what is considered â¬Üacceptable' human behaviour? We have already started down that path now. If you don't believe me, just try taking a one way flight without luggage and pay for the ticket in cash. I'm willing to wager that that series of actions will win you long and friendly conversation with an airport security professional.

Thus, intelligent surveillance technology could very well lead to the elimination of eccentricity and distinct cultural behaviours—indeed the very quirkiness that makes us special as human beings. When we reach that point, the fictional scenario to worry about isn't so much Minority Report but rather the much more sinister 1984 by George Orwell.