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There are subtle differences in the sense that individual databases can be detached, queries can be monitored and throttled by local authorities, etc. It will b
by matthewdgreen 5y ago
There are subtle differences in the sense that individual databases can be detached, queries can be monitored and throttled by local authorities, etc. It will be much harder to have a single breach leak the whole database (e.g., the OPM hack [1].) It also makes automated surveillance (e.g., "track this person around and constantly notify the secret police of their location") much harder to implement without at least a few different countries cooperating to implement the system.
However, as far as the core functionality ("look up a face, find a match from any country's data") the operation of this federated database will be nearly identical. I suspect that politicians/regulators either don't fully understand this, or else they don't want their constituents to understand this.
[1] https://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity/cybersecurity-incidents/ https://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity/cybersecurity-incidents/
- SiempreViernes 5y agoWhy would they hide that from their constituents? What is the reason to go "Hey, I worked to cripple the ability of our law enforcement to identify the criminals coming to our country from abroad! (Only secretly the system actually works fine)"?
- mattnewton 5y agoProbably anticipating arguments about losing their sovereignty over domestic data. This way they can claim that data bout their citizens is still owned by their citizens and not other nations in the EU?
- SiempreViernes 5y agoWell sure, they could want to stay out entirely because of data sovereignty concerns. But I don't see why you would join a intel sharing system holding the position that you won't share your own intel (nor why you would be allowed to join).
- matthewdgreen 5y agoMy guess is that there is some tension in the voting population between wanting police to use this tech to solve crimes, and fear that a continent-wide database will enable surveillance abuses. A federated solution might reduce the abuse potential. But more cynically, it allows for the effective creation of a continent-wide database while reassuring voters that there is no continent-wide database.