scholarly journals Burning Bridges: The Automated Facial Recognition Technology and Public Space Surveillance in the Modern State

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-307
Author(s):  
Monika Zalnieriute

Live automated facial recognition technology, rolled out in public spaces and cities across the world, is transforming the nature of modern policing.  R (on the application of Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police, decided in August 2020, is the first successful legal challenge to automated facial recognition technology in the world. In Bridges, the United Kingdom’s Court of Appeal held that the South Wales Police force’s use of automated facial recognition technology was unlawful. This landmark ruling could influence future policy on facial recognition in many countries. The Bridges decision imposes some limits on the police’s previously unconstrained discretion to decide whom to target and where to deploy the technology. Yet, while the decision requires that the police adopt a clearer legal framework to limit this discretion, it does not, in principle, prevent the use of facial recognition technology for mass-surveillance in public places, nor for monitoring political protests. On the contrary, the Court held that the use of automated facial recognition in public spaces – even to identify and track the movement of very large numbers of people – was an acceptable means for achieving law enforcement goals. Thus, the Court dismissed the wider impact and significant risks posed by using facial recognition technology in public spaces. It underplayed the heavy burden this technology can place on democratic participation and freedoms of expression and association, which require collective action in public spaces. The Court neither demanded transparency about the technologies used by the police force, which is often shielded behind the “trade secrets” of the corporations who produce them, nor did it act to prevent inconsistency between local police forces’ rules and regulations on automated facial recognition technology. Thus, while the Bridges decision is reassuring and demands change in the discretionary approaches of U.K. police in the short term, its long-term impact in burning the “bridges” between the expanding public space surveillance infrastructure and the modern state is unlikely. In fact, the decision legitimizes such an expansion. 

Author(s):  
Minh-Tung Tran ◽  
◽  
Tien-Hau Phan ◽  
Ngoc-Huyen Chu ◽  
◽  
...  

Public spaces are designed and managed in many different ways. In Hanoi, after the Doi moi policy in 1986, the transfer of the public spaces creation at the neighborhood-level to the private sector has prospered na-ture of public and added a large amount of public space for the city, directly impacting on citizen's daily life, creating a new trend, new concept of public spaces. This article looks forward to understanding the public spaces-making and operating in KDTMs (Khu Do Thi Moi - new urban areas) in Hanoi to answer the question of whether ‘socialization’/privatization of these public spaces will put an end to the urban public or the new means of public-making trend. Based on the comparison and literature review of studies in the world on public spaces privatization with domestic studies to see the differences in the Vietnamese context leading to differences in definitions and roles and the concept of public spaces in KDTMs of Hanoi. Through adducing and analyzing practical cases, the article also mentions the trends, the issues, the ways and the technologies of public-making and public-spaces-making in KDTMs of Hanoi. Win/loss and the relationship of the three most important influential actors in this process (municipality, KDTM owners, inhabitants/citizens) is also considered to reconceptualize the public spaces of KDTMs in Hanoi.


Author(s):  
Barrie Gordon

The use of automated facial recognition in law enforcement is still a novel practice and as a result the legislative framework for this technology is ill-defined. The judgement of The Queen (on application of Edward Bridges) v The Chief Constable of South Wales Police [2020] EWCA Civ 1058 is the first case in the world that examines pertinent legal questions pertaining to this new technology. Automatic facial recognition may be used in law enforcement, but to prevent massive human rights violations, operators should perform their duties within a well-defined legal framework where discretion is kept to the minimum, and strict data-retention policies are followed. Furthermore, human oversight should always be part of an automated facial recognition system to ensure accuracy, fairness, and compliance with the law.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela de Souza Tenorio ◽  

Public spaces that attract and retain diverse people are crucial to foster urbanity and tolerance, and build stronger and livelier communities, especially in big cities. The simple coexistence of similarities and differences in public spaces can, to say the least, validate our own essence and offer us a possibility of growth. Sharing the same space with other people – even without interacting with them – favors social learning. Theory suggests that thought, feeling and behavior can be altered by observation. The search for public spaces that make urbanity viable is desirable in any society (especially in more unequal societies, as one can find in developing countries). However, inspired by ideas built on the critique of great urban agglomerations after the Industrial Revolution, cities around the world have undergone transformations that did exactly the opposite. As a series of lifeless places began to emerge, several researchers tried to figure out why this was happening. These researchers found that just wanting to create a lively place was not enough. It was necessary to scrutinize the behavior of people in public spaces in order to understand the relationship between their configuration and use. The knowledge they have built has been largely responsible for the increasing concern with public spaces and their relation to public life since the 1960s. Cities around the world are realizing that empty places could be full of people, and that not only a place full of people is something positive, but an empty place is not. They are learning to see underused public spaces as social, cultural, environmental, and financial waste. However, even with so much information available, it is still possible to find, in any contemporary city, public spaces that fail to support public life. Frequently, little or nothing is done to make them safer or more attractive, diverse and pleasant. It is even more worrying to realize that such places continue to be created. This is the focus of this paper. It brings together available knowledge and experiences in the area of public space design. It also complements, structures and translates such experiences and knowledge into a Public Space Post-Occupancy Evaluation Method, which stresses the importance of observing people and their activities. As a result, one can better understand, observe, assess and, thus, manipulate the main attributes of a public space that may influence its capacity to attract and retain diverse people on a daily basis. The method is offered as a tool to support those who deal with public spaces at different levels – from academic studies to municipal management. It has been used in Brasilia, Brazil, for the past 7 years, with positive results in governmental decision-making processes. A case study is briefly presented to illustrate its use.


Author(s):  
Maria Anton-Barco ◽  

Public space in the city is being continuously contested. The most compelling of these challenges comes from the recent terrorist attacks on cities across the world. While the awareness of the need to ‘design against terrorism’ and a demand for greater safety in public spaces has entered into citizen’s consciousness -given the perception of fear due to recent attacks- drastic security and surveillance measures usually go against a more open and inclusive public realm.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 50-57
Author(s):  
Dariusz Gaweł

This article is the result of the research carried out by the author in creating new public spaces and shaping contemporary urban-forming trends in the conditions of globalization. In his research (through literature criticism and in situ field research) the author analyzes selected contemporary architectural realizations in Poland over the last decades, comparing them with similar works around the world, assessing their impact on shaping the cities’ build environment. The comparison is made through the analysis of such factors as: the construction of the form, elements of architecture and construction affecting the location, visibility, perception and created relations between the building and the surroundings.


Ethnologies ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Tye

This article explores the tension between women’s efforts to find time for themselves and traditional culture’s strong directives against women spending any time alone. Drawing on twenty-one contemporary legends from the Snopes website (http://www.snopes.com) that feature solitary female protagonists, it argues that the narratives demonstrate a gendered contestation of public space. Set in cars, hotels, shopping malls and in cyberspace, locations that sociologist Marc Augé (1995) describes as “non-places,” these legends warn of the dangers that await women if they venture into the world alone. In addressing the question of where women belong, the texts speak of female challenges to male domination of public spaces at the same time they reveal powerful male defenses.


2021 ◽  
pp. 229-259
Author(s):  
Berezi Elorrieta Sanz ◽  
Miguel García Martín ◽  
Aurélie Cerdan Schwitzguébel ◽  
Anna Torres Delgado

La ocupación del espacio público para usos privados está generando crecientes conflictos en algunos destinos turísticos urbanos, donde las terrazas se han convertido en motivo de controversia. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar, de forma comparada, el marco regulador y la ocupación efectiva del espacio público por parte de las terrazas de veladores en zonas turísticas de Sevilla y Barcelona. Una combinación de análisis de contenido y trabajo de campo arroja unos resultados que muestran las limitaciones de las ordenanzas para evitar una elevada ocupación del espacio público, más acentuada en entramados urbanos densos, pero contenida en las áreas que cuentan con una ordenación específica. The occupancy of public spaces for private purposes is causing increasing conflicts in several urban tourist destinations. Concretely, sidewalk cafes (which basically consist of tables and chairs) have become a matter of controversy. This research aims to compare both legal framework and factual occupancy concerning sidewalk cafes in urban tourist areas of two Spanish cities (Seville and Barcelona). Content analysis of the legal framework and fieldwork have been the main methods used. Results point to the limited capacity of city ordinances to restrain the increasing occupancy of public space. This phenomenon is more significant in the high-density areas of city centres but it is tempered in those areas where there is a specific regulation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-629
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Nawratek ◽  
Asma Mehan

This article discusses places and practices of young heterosexual Malaysian Muslims dating in non-private urban spaces. It is based on research conducted in Kuala Lumpur in two consecutive summers 2016 and 2017. Malaysian law (Khalwat law) does not allow for two unrelated people (where at least one of them is Muslim) of opposite sexes to be within ‘suspicious proximity’ of one another in public. This law significantly influences behaviors and activities in urban spaces in KL. In addition to the legal framework, the beliefs of Malaysian Muslims significantly influence the way they perceive space and how they behave in the city. The article discusses the empirical theme, beginning with the participants’ narratives of their engagement with the dominant sexual and gender order in non-private spaces of KL. Utilizing questionnaires, interviews and observations, this article draws upon a qualitative research project and questions the analytical usefulness of the notion of public space (as a Western construct) in the context of an Islamic, post-colonial, tropical, global city.


2019 ◽  
pp. 61-86
Author(s):  
Anna Tehlova

Statistics show that urban green public spaces deteriorate globally. In African cities, where the urbanization rates are the highest in the world, public spaces quickly disappear under layers of garbage or are grabbed. For public authorities having to deal with other pressing socio-economic challenges in the context of outdated regulations, insufficient capacity and resources and wide-spread corruption, public spaces are not a priority. However, the research worldwide has demonstrated the potential of public spaces to become the key catalyst of socio-economic growth given their environmental, economic and social benefits that are however largely ignored by public authorities and the general public in African cities. This article suggests a citizen-driven public space upgrading movement can address these challenges and presents a gamification approach for citizen mobilization and raising awareness: The Changing Faces Competition that has been piloted by Nairobi-based organizations Dandora Transformation League and Public Space Network.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Renata Sieiro Fernandes ◽  
Antonio Carlos Miranda ◽  
Irene Quintáns

Parte-se da ideia da cidade como campo da educação não formal. Dentre os usos e ocupações atuais do espaço público por contestação, manifestação, lazer, sob orientações políticas, étnicas, artísticas, ambientais, lúdicas, pelo público adulto, têm surgido experiências que envolvem as crianças, como sujeitos-cidadãos ativos e participativos na cidade, o que vem a constituir a experiência da cidade. O objetivo é apresentar e discutir aspectos educativos no campo da educação não formal que são desenvolvidos por meio de ações sociais e comunitárias, relacionando com o conceito de currículo e de currículo oculto no espaço da cidade. Metodologicamente, é um estudo exploratório, de abordagem qualitativa no campo da Educação, do tipo bibliográfico e documental e descritivo e analítico quanto aos seus objetivos. Parte do levantamento de práticas nacionais de educação não formal na cidade envolvendo crianças, tendo sido selecionados 5 projetos dentro de duas categorias denominadas projetos de revitalização do espaço público e projetos de escuta das crianças, para discussão. O referencial teórico baseia-se em Trilla, Sennett, Lefebvre e outros. Os dados mostram que, na ocupação dos espaços públicos, o currículo deixa de ser prescrito para ser construído pelas comunidades, na promoção das oportunidades de acesso aos bens sociais e culturais nas três dimensões em que a cidade educa: aprender da cidade, aprender na cidade, aprender a cidade. As crianças que participam dos projetos são entendidas como sujeitos sociais e públicos e que produzem cultura (não apenas a reiteram), promovendo processos de criação, reinvenção e modificação do entorno, do que é comum, das comunidades e da sociedade. Conclui-se que essa participação e as ações empreendidas dão margem a novas possibilidades de atuação no mundo, tirando os sujeitos das tiranias da intimidade.Palavras-chave: Educação não formal. Cidade educativa. Educação e cultura. Currículo.THE CITY AS A FIELD OF NON-FORMAL EDUCATION AND THE EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN Abstract This article starts with the idea of the city as a place of non-formal education. Among the current uses and occupations of the public space for contestation, demonstration, leisure, under political, ethnic, artistic, environmental and playful orientations by the adult public, experiences have arisen that involve children as active and participative citizen subjects in the city. This is what constitutes the experience of the city. The objective is to present and discuss educational aspects in the field of non-formal education that are developed through social and community actions, relating to the concept of curriculum and hidden curriculum in the universe of the city. Methodologically, it is an exploratory study, qualitative approach in the field of Education, bibliographic and documentary type and descriptive and analytical about its objectives. Part of the survey of national practices of non-formal education in the city involving children, 5 projects were selected within two categories called projects of revitalization of public space and projects of listening to children, for discussion. The theoretical framework is based on Trilla, Sennett, Lefebvre and others. The data show that, in the occupation of public spaces, the curriculum is no longer prescribed to be built by the communities, in promoting opportunities for access to social and cultural goods in the three dimensions in which the city educates: learning from the city, learning in the city , learn the city. The children who participate in the projects are understood as social and public subjects and that produce culture (not only reiterate it), promoting processes of creation, reinvention and modification of the environment, of what is common, of communities and of society. It is concluded that this participation and the actions undertaken give rise to new possibilities of action in the world, taking the subjects from the tyrannies of intimacy.Keywords: Non-formal education. Educational city. Education and culture. Curriculum.LA CIUDAD COMO CAMPO DE LA EDUCACIÓN NO FORMAL Y LAS EXPERIENCIAS DE LOS NIÑOSResumenSe parte de la idea de la ciudad como lugar de educación no formal. En el caso de los niños, como sujetos ciudadanos activos y participativos en la ciudad, entre los usos y ocupaciones actuales del espacio público por contestación, manifestación, ocio, bajo orientaciones políticas, étnicas, artísticas, ambientales, lúdicas, por el público adulto, han surgido experiencias que involucran a los niños, lo que viene a constituir la experiencia de la ciudad. El objetivo es presentar y discutir aspectos educativos en el campo de la educación no formales que se desarrollan a través de acciones sociales y comunitarias, relacionándose con el concepto de currículo y de currículo oculto en el universo de la ciudad. Metodológicamente, es un estudio exploratorio, de abordaje cualitativo en el campo de la Educación, del tipo bibliográfico y documental y descriptivo y analítico en cuanto a sus objetivos. Parte del levantamiento de prácticas nacionales de educación no formal en la ciudad que involucra a niños, se seleccionaron 5 proyectos dentro de dos categorías denominadas proyectos de revitalización del espacio público y proyectos de escucha de los niños, para discusión. El referencial teórico se basa en Trilla, Sennett, Lefebvre y otros. Los datos muestran que, en la ocupación de los espacios públicos, el currículo deja de ser prescrito para ser construido por las comunidades, en la promoción de las oportunidades de acceso a los bienes sociales y culturales en las tres dimensiones en que la ciudad educa: aprender de la ciudad, aprender en la ciudad , aprender la ciudad. Los niños que participan en los proyectos son entendidos como sujetos sociales y públicos y que producen cultura (no sólo la reiteran), promoviendo procesos de creación, reinvención y modificación del entorno, de lo que es común, de las comunidades y de la sociedad. Se concluye que esa participación y las acciones emprendidas dan lugar a nuevas posibilidades de actuación en el mundo, sacando a los sujetos de las tiranías de la intimidad.Palabras clave: Educación no formal. Ciudad educativa. Educación y cultura. Currículo.


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