The Case for Public Surveillance

We need more cameras with facial-recognition software operating in public spaces

To understand how confused our intuitions are about facial-recognition technology are, start with popular culture; start with Batman.

In Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film, The Dark Knight, the Joker is loose in Gotham City. He has committed a string of atrocities and is poised to commit more. Batman, determined to apprehend him, deploys a surveillance system…