DHS’s FAST Project Plans To Scope Vitals To Target “Criminals” Before They Commit Crimes

Get ready for additional invasions of your privacy across the country and beyond! Since 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been working on new and even more intrusive methods of crime detection as part of their Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST) project.

Basically, they plan to stand around in airports and monitor the vital signs of passersby for specific signs that they say are indicators that the person may be up to no good. It is unclear whether the program will roll out in airports first and extend to other transportation hubs and beyond, or whether the rollout will be experimental in different types of settings up front.

There are so many questions that arise when talking about singling someone out for a “precrime”–a crime that they are alleged to be about to commit. Can people be prosecuted for crimes they haven’t committed? Will the government roll this program out beyond transportation settings? Can monitoring patterns in a person’s vital signs actually serve as evidence of future intent to commit a crime?

Watch as Heit & Cheri discuss the program and its frightening implications in the video below. Don’t forget to give us a call at 202-446-1886, and let us know what you think about this project!