Google helps victim identify her attacker = 100+ years

Fascinating to follow the modern Sherlock Holmes technology used to solve this brutal crime - aided by the victim's astute attention to the circumstances of her attack. This 2017 crime was one of the first applications of the techniques. Since then, the use of "Geofences"* has increased by the thousands to identify criminals.

The only problem so far is that the popularity of Geofences in crime solving, is that Google now has a massive backup that means significant delay in implementing them. If this case is in any way typical, time was of the essence - means bad guys getting away.

Note the psychological damage she suffered too, and her courage in reliving the crime in her recounting of it. Every little detail helped the sophisticated technology pinpoint the attackers with the legally subpoened information from Google. Cell phone companies have also helped in similar cases.

I hope attorneys arguing on the basis of 1st amendment violations don't prevail. So complicated.

*Confession. I don't get the use of their chosen terminology "Geofences". Anybody else?

Wow.

On the NCIS TV show they use this technology all the time, and nearly instantly. I didn't know it was actually a thing.

As I consider this cutting edge crime solving technology, many questions come to mind, legal and otherwise. This article notes that when this case was implemented, it appears there was some doubt about Google's willingness to lend their available technology. Now, as noted, it's actually causing a backlog of requests besides challenging the legal basis for what some regard as an invasion of policy.

In this instance, Google truly did follow their original maxim: "Don't be Evil".

Wonder whether the experience they gleaned from their suspect work for China contributed to their ability to perform this feat.

Also wondering if Google is being reimbursed for the use of their infrastructure to play this role - also if having done so they are obligated by precedent to continue.

At any rate, if this case is more publicized, it ought certainly give them good publicity at a time when they and other big tech cos are under fire for other supposed abuses of power.

It certainly is a two edged sword. Lawyers?

This phrase especially struck me:

quote:

Police asked Google for Arevalo-Viera’s location history, showing where he’d been before and during the attack. They obtained surveillance video of Arevalo-Viera and Arias-Martinez from several of those places.

Are we to understand from this that every populated area in the world is constantly under video surveillance? And that it's not only recorded but available for retrieval indefinitely??

Surely this is an episode from "Black Mirror"! I must have misunderstood something.

quote:

Am we to understand from this that every populated area in the world is constantly under video surveillance?

Kinda yes. Most cities have cameras on their streets, and in combination with many store security cameras means you're probably being photographed at some point wherever you go in a city. I have no idea how accessible this information is to the standard person, but I'm guessing it requires a warrant for private video (like from a store).

But the information for google maps and a TON of other things is provided via cell phones on a constant basis. When you fire up google maps (or whatever apple's version is), it is using current GIS coordinates and speeds derived from cell phones to give you an estimate of how long your trip will take, in more or less real time. It will also predict travel time if you were to give it a future time, or ask it to map out a route for you if you need to arrive as of a specific time.

That info is much harder to get at in any other than an anonymized way. But we know it's possible, because it's being used as above.

It's not completely evil big brother stuff, though. The phone location records are being used to help determine the best spots for bus stops, for new roads, for transportation routes, for pollution intervention, etc. As with most technology, imo, it's a mixed bag of good and not so good outcomes.

It's remarkable how good the technology is. One of my map programs indicates how fast I'm going and it's really accurate

Yep. Our new car has a tracking feature and I can use it to determine whether Mr. Nina has parked head in or backed into a parking space.

I keep thinking there's a good TV show there about how someone's partner tracked their cheating butt all over town with one of these.

Yes, I've obviously been watching waaaay too much TV during the lockdown....

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
Yep. Our new car has a tracking feature and I can use it to determine whether Mr. Nina has parked head in or backed into a parking space.

The new tracking device I put in my truck tracks down to exact addresses but not that specifically.

Impressive!