Ask HN: Can Facebook lead to a Minority Report like computer system?

5 points by negamax 13y ago ↗ HN

I was reading this article on wired

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/insider-threat/

Since Facebook is about "What's on your mind". A computer system can surely be created to identify sudden behavioral patterns towards violence. Government must be having feed from many other sources to make this more accurate.

Thoughts?

3 comments

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DigitalSea 13y ago ↗

My understanding is that research into this kind of thing has been in the works before Facebook even existed. I can't remember where I read this, but I think it was an article on Wired a year or two ago about the government possessing this kind of technology.

Isn't there a company that has something similar that analyses CTV footage and can detect and react to violent behavior? And another company built technology that can detect gunshots so that police can be deployed to an area quickly.

The future is right under our noses.

negamax 13y ago ↗

I am correlating it to Facebook specially because of "What's on your mind?" question that they pose. Psychics are about this only right?

dsmithn 13y ago ↗

I think Google might be in the better position. Not only can they see what people search for, they have access to more emails than anyone else. Anyone who gets an email from facebook that includes the text of a facebook post or message could be read by Google.