FC: Surveillance update: European spycams, Israel's Xacct, Japan, more

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Date: Fri, 01 Mar 2002 03:03:51 +0100
From: Ralf Bendrath <bendrath () zedat fu-berlin de>
Organization: http://www.fogis.de
To: declan () well com
Subject: the Urbaneye Project: CCTV in Europe

Declan,

maybe Politech readers are interested in the CCTV developments and
debates in Europe. This is good point of contact.

Ralf


http://www.urbaneye.net/index.html

the Urbaneye Project
On the Threshold to Urban Panopticon?

Since more than four decades we witness the proliferation of video
surveillance (closed circuit television - CCTV) in Europe. During the
1990s its presence exploded in public accessible space in many European
countries. It is this common trend which the URBANEYE project addresses.

It is a comparative research project analysing the employment of CCTV in
public accessible space in Europe which shall assess its social effects
and political impacts in order to finally outline strategies for its
regulation.

The URBANEYE project is realised by a multidisciplinary team assembling
criminologists, philosophers, political scientists, sociologists and
urban geographers from seven countries. It is co-ordinated by the Centre
of Technology and Society at the Technical University of Berlin. Its
overall duration is 30 months and the final report shall be presented in
spring 2004.

The research is supported by the European Commission as part of the Key
Action "Improving the Socio-Economic Knowledge Base" within the Fifth
Framework Programme. However, the content of this website does not
necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission regarding these
issues.

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From: "Peter Hollings" <phollings () attbi com>
To: "Declan McCullagh" <declan () well com>
Subject: New Surveillance Technology
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 08:50:26 -0500

Declan  --

I thought Politechnicals might be interested in this Israeli
surveillance technology.  The text below is excerpted from a recent
report from the technology analyst firm Gartner.
The fuller report can be found at
http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?id=351518 .

Peter Hollings


"Israel-based Xacct Technologies has won numerous awards during the last
three years for its intelligent business infrastructure platform and
data gathering technologies. For example, Red Herring has named it one
of the "Top 50 Companies Most Likely to Change the World."

A closer look at Xacct's technology reveals some startling implications
and opportunities for abuse. Promoted as a comprehensive, real-time data
collection, correlation, aggregation and account provisioning solution,
Xacct's technology uses "smart agents" to record information and
transmit data to a central event manager, storing the usage data in a
commercial database. Direct access to servers is not required, and Xacct
claims that more data often can be gathered by interrogating traffic
near the device than what the device itself provides.

Data is captured from all seven layers (physical to applications) of the
Open Systems Interconnect Protocol stack. The type of data that can be
recorded goes well beyond that collected by other systems, such as the
FBI's Carnivore e-mail monitoring technology, to the point where
virtually every type of communication can be recorded. Xacct uses its
proprietary Net-Stream Recognition Technology, which supports the
monitoring of more than 750 protocols and 3,000 attribute combinations.
Protocols such as HTTP, FTP, NNTP, H.323 (network conferencing standard
for voice and video), SMTP and others are monitored from devices such as
switches, routers, Web servers, voice over IP gateways, application
servers and even wireless networks such as general packet radio service
(GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access, WAP and the Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS) to obtain traffic and application data.

Xacct's carrier-class technology is deployed as a business
infrastructure solution that provides multisource, multilayer data
collection, as a convergent software platform that captures and
transforms raw network data, such as that from GPRS, UMTS and IP
networks, into actionable business and intelligence information. Because
protocols such as GPRS are always on, it's possible for a carrier to
offer information back to a user based on his or her location and
previous behavior. Going a step farther, Xacct can collect and process
this data in real time, combining behavioral events with positional
events. With the upcoming penetration of third-generation wireless
standards, this presents some interesting legal perspectives as to how
the information should or should not be used."

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From: "Xeni Jardin" <xeni () xeni net>
To: "Declan McCullagh" <declan () well com>
Subject: Travelocity poll says 76% like idea of biometric "trusted 
traveler" ID.
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 17:44:00 -0800

<snip>
<<Travelers Support Voluntary Travel ID Card.

Consistent with earlier Travelocity.com surveys, 76 percent of those
frequent travelers polled strongly support or somewhat support the
implementation of a voluntary ``Trusted Traveler'' identification card --
which would contain encrypted information, including a photograph,
fingerprints, flight history and/or facial/retinal (eye) characteristics.
The card would enable passengers wishing to move more quickly through
security to do so. About 4 out of 5 frequent travelers said that if such a
card were available, they would likely participate and use it. In a
similar Travelocity.com survey released in October 2001, 71 percent of
frequent travelers said they would likely take advantage of a National
Travel ID Card.

Travelers Support Federal Access To Travel Information.

Seventy percent of frequent travelers surveyed strongly support or
somewhat support granting federal law enforcement agencies (such as the
FBI) access to all travel reservations such as airlines and hotels booked
through travel agencies and suppliers. However, because of privacy issues,
26 percent of frequent travelers somewhat oppose or strongly oppose
allowing federal agencies access to personally identifiable travel
information.>>
</snip>

------------
<http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020227/daw017_1.html>

Wednesday February 27, 8:32 am Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Travelocity.com Inc.

Travelocity.com Poll Shows Travelers Favor Encrypted Identification Card
Support for Law Enforcement Access to Travel Reservations Is Mixed With
Concerns Over Privacy

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While the Federal
Aviation Administration has mandated various increased airport security
measures during the past several months, a vast majority of travelers
continue to voice support for programs such as a ``Trusted Traveler Card''
to ensure travel safety, according to a poll released today by
Travelocity.com Inc. (Nasdaq: TVLY - news), the most popular travel site
on the Web.

Among already implemented FAA security procedures, survey respondents
claim bomb-sniffing dogs, manual luggage searches and limited access to
gated areas as being the top three security procedures that make them feel
most secure.

``From this survey of Travelocity.com customers, it is clear that
travelers overwhelmingly support a voluntary identification program like
Trusted Traveler that will speed them through airports,'' said Terrell B.
Jones, president and chief executive officer of Travelocity.com. ``It's
also significant to point out that travelers are willing to grant law
enforcement access to travel reservation information for security reasons.
While travelers support the Trusted Traveler concept, the survey data also
suggests both government and industry need to remain alert to concerns
about government use of personal information.''

In a February 2002 survey, almost 3,400 Travelocity.com members who have
traveled since Sept. 11, 2001, responded to various questions regarding
airport security. Following are more details on what Travelocity.com
found:

Travelers Support Voluntary Travel ID Card. Consistent with earlier
Travelocity.com surveys, 76 percent of those frequent travelers polled
strongly support or somewhat support the implementation of a voluntary
``Trusted Traveler'' identification card -- which would contain encrypted
information, including a photograph, fingerprints, flight history and/or
facial/retinal (eye) characteristics. The card would enable passengers
wishing to move more quickly through security to do so. About 4 out of 5
frequent travelers said that if such a card were available, they would
likely participate and use it. In a similar Travelocity.com survey
released in October 2001, 71 percent of frequent travelers said they would
likely take advantage of a National Travel ID Card.
Travelers Support Federal Access To Travel Information. Seventy percent of
frequent travelers surveyed strongly support or somewhat support granting
federal law enforcement agencies (such as the FBI) access to all travel
reservations such as airlines and hotels booked through travel agencies
and suppliers. However, because of privacy issues, 26 percent of frequent
travelers somewhat oppose or strongly oppose allowing federal agencies
access to personally identifiable travel information.
Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Make Travelers Feel Most Secure. More than half of the
respondents (52 percent) polled said that the FAA security procedure
requiring bomb-sniffing dogs to inspect luggage makes them feel most
secure while traveling. Travelers also cite manually searching luggage (47
percent) and allowing only ticketed passengers past security checkpoints
(43 percent) as top security measures that make them feel most secure.
About the Travelocity.com Travel Security Survey

Travelocity.com requested survey participation via e-mail. Data was
collected from Feb. 11 to Feb. 13, 2002. Almost 3,400 (exactly 3,397)
members who started and completed round-trip air travel between Jan. 4 and
Feb. 3, 2002 participated, and this excluded duplicated responses, which
were omitted to ensure data quality. The findings were valid at a 95
percent confidence level, with a margin of error of +/- five percent. Full
details of findings can be found at www.travelocity.com/polls .

About Travelocity.com

Travelocity.com Inc. (Nasdaq: TVLY - news), a database-driven travel
marketing and transaction company, provides Internet and wireless
reservations information for more than 700 airlines, more than 50,000
hotels and more than 50 car rental companies. In addition, Travelocity.com
offers more than 6,500 vacation packages, tour and cruise departures and a
vast database of destination and interest information. Travelocity.com
employs more than 1,000 customer service professionals, has sold more than
20 million airline tickets and has registered more than 32 million
members.

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Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 15:14:23 -0800
From: "Stephen H. Kawamoto" <shkawamoto () shaw ca>
Subject: Tokyo police get surveillance cameras
To: declan () well com
Cc: "Stephen H. Kawamoto" <shkawamoto () shaw ca>

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=2&id=203359

Police surveillance cameras operating in Tokyo's Kabukicho

Wednesday, February 27, 2002 at 17:00 JST

TOKYO — The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) put 50 surveillance cameras
into operation Wednesday in the Kabukicho entertainment district in downtown
Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward as part of its crime-fighting efforts in the area.

Controlled by monitors set up at the MPD's Shinjuku Police Station, the
electronic cameras are intended to help the police keep an eye on the
streets of the nation's largest adult entertainment district that has become
the scene of a growing number of violent crimes...
--
With attentiveness strives this fool who knows the delusion of 'I am'.
--
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--

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