US Surveillance System Raises Privacy Concerns

The security surveillance system, dubbed RealEyes, could help agents identify and track down a suspect, help police find a lost child or guide firefighters to disaster victims, according to Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa. It could be a "very valuable" tool in the government's security and emergency-response efforts, she says.

The Homeland Security Department is testing technology that would allow its agents to use cell phones or e-mail devices to covertly share live video of possible terrorists over a law enforcement network. The idea is prompting concern from privacy advocates.

Department officials call the security Relevant Products/Services surveillance system RealEyes because it instantly broadcasts images to anyone connected to the system. It can stream the video across the country to computers and give the law enforcement agencies a front-row view of what's going on in real time.

If it passes a privacy test, the technology could allow air marshals, border officers or Secret Service agents to videotape surreptitiously in airports, at border crossings and anywhere else where there's a possible threat.

A live video feed could be shared with "dozens or hundreds of authorized users," Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa says.

The technology is raising privacy worries. Melissa Ngo of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, an electronic-privacy watchdog, says the department should proceed cautiously because the government has a post-9/11 record of "expansions into surveillance when there's no credible threat."