Start: November 13, 2024 5 p.m.
End: November 13, 2024 6 p.m.
Big Questions, Big Ideas
Hosted by the Muncie Public Library and the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Kennedy Library (1700 W. McGalliard Road, Muncie, IN)
Wednesday, November 13th
5:00 to 6:00 PM
Speaker: Adam Bowen, Associate Teaching Professor of Philosophy
"Surveillance, Biometrics, and the Erosion of Liberties"
Given the prevalence of smartphones, wearable fitness trackers, doorbell cameras, dash cams, etc., consumers not only consent to surveillance, but also actively surveil themselves and others. Images and video capture biometric information, i.e. a person’s distinctive and immutable physical characteristics like jawline, eye shape and position, and cheekbones, that can be used to identify individuals. Uploading pictures and videos to social media platforms creates an ever-increasing motherlode of biometric data that is mined by third parties, often without consent, and aggregated into massive databases to train facial recognition AI models utilized by law enforcement agencies. Does biometric surveillance of this kind infringe fundamental civil liberties? Privacy? Due process? In this presentation, together we will discuss whether, and to what degree, widespread surveillance erodes civil liberties and human rights protections.