The Balance Between Safety & Privacy/Convenience
Hardening The Target: Balancing The Seesaw Of Security And Privacy

Dara Riordan is the President and COO of FaceFirst Inc., a global leader in facial recognition and AI-driven security software.

In an increasingly interconnected world, prioritizing safety means acknowledging that a certain degree of privacy must sometimes be exchanged for greater security. It’s about value exchange, the concept of trading something of value to receive something of equal or more significant benefit. For consumers, this can often be the exchange between a company and a customer, such as sharing personal information in exchange for a personalized shopping experience or discounts. It can also be increased security for a safer and more secure environment, such as metal detection or surveillance tools and personnel.

Value exchange underpins many interactions. People must evaluate what they’re giving up versus what they gain: time, money, privacy or information. Successful value exchanges require one fundamental ingredient—they must be built on transparency and mutual benefit, with each party seeing clear worth in what they’re receiving.

The accelerated violence and crime we've seen isn't just theft. It’s also active shooter events at grocery stores, movie theatres, malls and concert venues. This crime spike requires advanced security measures to protect public spaces better and prevent violence and loss. Change is happening to harden the new target, our stores and other public spaces. California Proposition 36 overwhelmingly passed in November 2024, with more than 68% of Californians in a deep blue state voting for stricter punishments on crime and drug offenses. Enhanced security protocols and solutions will be required to counter rampant crime, which means being able to identify individuals, investigate their criminal acts and build prosecutable cases.

Embracing technology with human oversight empowers the use of tools and systems that can—and do—identify threats, help prevent crimes and drive swifter responses to emergencies. The seesaw balance between privacy and security can be achieved with two key elements in mind.

1. Trust And Transparency: Clear, simple notices at entrances help ensure that members of the public are informed about security measures in place and where they can find more information about stores’ privacy policies.

2. Minimal And Necessary Data Collection: Any intrusion on the public’s privacy should be both minimal and purposeful, especially for threat mitigation as well as enhanced intelligence about criminal activity and patterns. The ability to prevent harm and loss, augment investigations and improve store safety more than balances the brief, limited, contactless intrusion by already ubiquitous security cameras and software as individuals enter. forbes.com
 

Will Prop 36 Live Up to Promise of Tackling Crime?
The Legislature must ensure Prop. 36 fulfills its promise of less crime and more treatment
California’s Proposition 36 is a compelling story about how Californians respond when feeling unsafe and ignored by their elected representatives. It is also a near-perfect example of how Californians have repeatedly responded to crime via initiative.

Proposition 36 was approved in every California county and had the highest percentage of support for all ballot measures. To prove that voters meant what they said, they also unelected several progressive district attorneys.

Prop. 36 has been falsely characterized as a return to the “lock’em up and throw away the key” approach to crime and a return to incarceration for drug offenses.

Prop. 36 also addresses the strong correlation between substance abuse, homelessness, and crime, with one condition often leading to another. It provides that certain people who possess illegal hard drugs are to be charged with a “treatment-mandated felony” instead of the current misdemeanor, which allows them to avoid jail time and have their case dismissed if they complete their rehabilitation plan.

The legislature has the choice and challenge to fund these treatment courts or ignore the precepts of Prop. 36 and the will of California voters. Taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars on incarceration and reducing our homeless population in the last decade. Investing in drug treatment, as the voters have directed, will go a long way toward making voters feel heard and respected.  ocregister.com


Cities on Edge Amid 'Deportation Blitz'
Trump ramps up ICE arrests, alarming cities and immigrant communities

The number of suspects arrested — several hundred per day — has been outpaced by the psychological impact of the attention on ICE operations.

The deportation blitz President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail kicked off in U.S. cities this week, delighting many of his supporters and jolting communities where immigration officers appeared — or whose arrival was merely rumored, sending a chill nonetheless.

Trump’s executive orders have given immigration officers extraordinary new powers to cast a wider net and fast-track deportations. The president has scrapped restrictions that kept “sensitive” locations like churches and schools off-limits for immigration officers. Social media posts and school mailing lists have lit up with possible officer sightings, including many false alarms.

The number of suspects arrested — several hundred per day nationwide — has been outpaced by the psychological impact of the attention on ICE operations.

In Boston, a Fox News crew broadcast live as officers knocked on doors and pulled suspects from homes. In other cities where ICE netted a smattering of arrests, immigrant advocacy groups and Democratic representatives denounced “raids” that gave an impression of something larger. Chicago officials said ICE officers tried to access an elementary school, but the agency said it wasn’t true. washingtonpost.com

RELATED: Warrantless ICE raid on business in Newark condemned by mayor


Memphis crime down in 2024, still higher than pre-pandemic levels

Minneapolis, MN: The crime rate in Dinkytown has improved over the last few months