ACR 212 T1 2019 – Crime, Surveillance, and Technology
Assessment 3: Policy Report (50%)
Policy report (Approximately 2000 words +/- 10%) Due at the end of the trimester (5pm 30 May 2019)
Task: To provide government with a policy paper that critically analyses and evaluates the use, effectiveness, and impacts of a surveillance technology by law enforcement and/or security intelligence.
In your policy paper you need to identify and evaluate a technology of your choice, and discuss its use by a specific police or security intelligence agency in the relevant jurisdiction.
Possible examples include:
• Access to stored digital communications, such as telecommunications metadata
• Police use of body worn cameras
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones)
• IMSI Catchers
• ID scanners
• Government use of hacking
• Facial Recognition technology / Biometrics
• Big Data / Surveillance of Social Media
• Predictive Analytics (PredPol)
• DNA Databases
• Artificial Intelligence (use of algorithms) in a part of the criminal justice system
Based on the methodology for conducting a ‘Surveillance Impact Assessment’ found in Wright and Raab (2012), you are tasked with identifying the key issues and impacts associated with your chosen technology and to recommend course(s) of action for government.
Possible key issues that relate to your case study might include: inequities in impact for different populations affected by the use of the technology, including privacy infringements, issues regarding discrimination, or concerns about transparency and accountability.
A general outline of the report should look as follows:
1. Problem statement: what is the specific technological practice to be addressed? What is the key concerns/controversies that relate to the use of the technology by a given police or security intelligence agency? (Only a small paragraph is needed)
2. Evidence: provide details from literature/articles, government reports, on the technology and the potential problems it introduces. (Approximately 750 words)
3. What are the most significant issues and impacts that emerge in relation to the use of the technology? (note: Wright and Raab (2012) discuss impacts from p.617-620).
• For example, here is where you might explore issues of different impacts regarding ‘function-creep’, social justice, privacy, human rights, and/or other interests.
• What groups are disproportionately affected? Given these problems, is the use of the technology necessary and/or proportionate? (Approximately 750 words)
4. Recommendations:
• Discuss and justify your reasons for how the problem(s) associated with the use of the surveillance technology should be addressed.
• Should the technology be used?
• If so, what conditions must be met in order for the technology to be used?
• Feel free to number your recommendations if you so choose (Approximately 500 words)
5. Your work should contain at least 8 additional academic or government sources, and may cite additional media sources. However, media sources do not count in the total of your 8 sources, nor should media sources be relied upon more than your academic or government sources. Note that your reference list does not count toward the final word count, but in-text citations do.