"That photo is then compared with a database of images of people with criminal records." (Image by Matthew Goldthwaite.)

A new iPhone app will allow law-enforcement officers to photograph a person and instantly scan a database of criminals to see if there is a match. It’s inevitable that all of the information we’ve put online will end up in databases that can be monetized or scrutinized. A report from Cnet:

“Some law-enforcement agencies are preparing to deploy a mobile facial-recognition tool, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

According to the Journal, about 40 law-enforcement agencies across the U.S. will be making the handheld product available to their officers in the field as early as September. The device, which has been developed by Massachusetts-based BI2 Technologies, allows officers to take a photo of a person from a distance of five feet or less. That photo is then compared with a database of images of people with criminal records to see if there is a match. The device is also capable of scanning a person’s iris.”

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Iris-recognition scanner: