According to reports in the Washington Post, Israeli security forces have increased the quality of surveillance of suspected Palestinian activists in the past year and have begun using sophisticated cameras that can detect faces and match the information with the data Israel has in its internal databases.
Cameras in the streets - soon with us, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The technology combines the sophisticated photo array deployed alongside a smartphone technology called Blue Wolf that is capable of cross-referencing the information received from the cameras in real time with the vast image pool of security forces to find suspects in terrorist activity, or identify such an organization.
"It's like we have the Palestinians' Facebook," a former soldier told a reporter who served at one of the terminals and saw the system working closely.
For the purpose of building the database, members of the security forces held a photo contest, the reporter reports, and the person who took the most good photos of Palestinians won prizes.
The train face recognition system in Russia,
According to the author, special facial scanners were set up in the city of Hebron to help soldiers identify the Palestinian who arrives at the checkpoints even before he pulls out his ID card to present it to soldiers.
"I will not feel comfortable if there is such a camera aimed at me in the mall," said one of the discharged soldiers who spoke to the post reporter and passed the details on to people breaking the silence as well.
"People are afraid of fingerprint recognition? It's much more serious," they added.
The IDF chose to respond to the Washington Post when they said: "Routine surveillance operations are part of the fight against terrorism and also as part of the effort to improve the quality of life of Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria."
