Civil liberties may not survive the new Biometric Optical Surveillance System

washingtonexaminer.com Meet the new BOSS, short for Biometric Optical Surveillance System, a crowd-scanning technology under development for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Last week saw the release of documents describing DHS's latest efforts in "facial profiling." The agency has awarded a $5.2 million federal contract to the defense firm Electronic Warfare Associates to develop facial recognition technology allowing video cameras to pick "watch-listed" suspects out of crowds at distances of up to 100 meters. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports on the expansion of a DHS initiative that's bringing roving squads of armed Transportation Security Administration agents to trains, buses, and stadiums near you. Random stops, bag searches, and interrogations are among the services TSA provides with its "Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response" program. Clearly, somebody in the TSA brass thought it would be really cool to call these units "VIPR" squads. Some might find it unsettling to learn that the federal agency in charge of crotch-groping aspires to strike with the speed and ruthlessness of a venomous snake -- but I'm all for truth in advertising. These militaristic monikers show us how the permanent security bureaucracy sees the relationship between the rulers and the ruled: They believe they are the BOSS of you. to read more click here: washingtonexaminer.com