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Traffic cameras given green light by Ohio Supreme Court

On Behalf of | Jul 27, 2017 | Firm News |

Automatic tickets are cost effective for communities but feel Big Brother-ish to drivers.  I first encountered them in Arizona almost ten years ago, which I found odd as I associate the West with more individual freedom and mistrust of government.

The legal issue addressed by the Ohio Supreme Court didn’t touch on the basic question about whether cameras and computers should have the power to fine you- the real issue of interest. Instead, it was a question of power between cities and the state legislature.  Here, the City, which wanted the camera tickets for making money, won.

As artificial intelligence and other technology improves, we can expect increasing numbers of decisions by Government about whom to investigate and even punish.  Most people know the IRS uses computers to determine whom to audit.

What is less known is the use of computer algorithms in criminal matters.  For instance, many federal courts now use computers to determine who should be let out on pretrial release and who should be locked up before trial.  Others use computers to assist in determining lengths of sentences.

In a hundred years will the judges be computers?

Read more:  Toledo Blade, July 27, 2017