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I do not want the government to possess the tools for dragnet surveillance for the same reason I don't want the cops kitted out like they're navy seals or the army stockpiling chemical weapons.

No amount of dragnet surveillance will change the fact that going hard on petty crime is politically unpopular in SF. If it really was an issue SF wanted to solve they would solve it with or without facial recognition.

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This is so true, but why is it politically unpopular? Who would want to defend petty crime instead of condemning it? SF sometimes really makes no sense.

If it turns out that most of petty crime is committed by “disadvantaged” (whatever that means) populations, then the enforcement will necessarily also impact the “disadvantaged” populations the most, and some people don’t like the idea.

As opposed to letting them commit crimes which in turn will never give them a chance to be less disadvantaged? This reasoning makes no sense. These are people that need help, letting them act unchecked will certainly not provide them with the assistance and re-qualification required to be reintroduced in the society.

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