This weekend, a child suicide bomber killed 54 and injured about 70 people at a wedding in Turkey near the Syrian border. This marks the deadliest of a string of terror attacks, many of which have been connected to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). President Erdogen blamed this most recent attack on ISIL, although the group has yet to claim responsibility.
In the wake of ISIL attacks in Wuerzburg and Ansbach, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced that he is in favor of using video camera technology at train stations and airports to identify possible suspects of terrorism. This announcement takes aim at face veils worn in public spaces. “I would like to use this kind of facial recognition technology in video cameras at airports and train stations. Then, if a suspect appears and is recognized, it will show up in the system.” This statement is not made lightly, since surveillance techniques were abused by both the Stasi secret police in East Germany and the Gestapo under the Nazis. Other countries are investigating such technologies to minimize threats against citizens and increase the chances of identifying terrorists. These technologies may indeed end terror-related crises but are accompanied by significant civil liberty concerns.
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