Another link from Slashdot: software to predict how likely a person is to commit murder. Because, of course, you can't let the actual facts stand in the way of a good computer-based prediction:
"The tool works by plugging 30 to 40 variables into a computerized checklist, which in turn produces a score associated with future lethality. 'You can imagine the indicators that might incline someone toward violence: youth; having committed a serious crime at an early age; being a man rather than a woman, and so on. Each, by itself, probably isn't going to make a person pull the trigger. But put them all together and you've got a perfect storm of forces for violence,' Berk said. Asked which, if any, indicators stood out as reliable predicators of homicide, Berk pointed to one in particular: youthful exposure to violence."
That last item will be like catnip for law enforcement types, because those four final words will almost instantly bond with the concept of "violent computer games". There you have it, a perfect reason to lock up anyone you don't like . . . and you've got a computer prediction to back up your prejudices. Not to imply that law enforcement officials would misuse such a tool — perish the thought — just that it's inevitable a possibility.
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