The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is expanding its surveillance capabilities, tapping a state fund to purchase a software platform that offers AI-powered data analysis with the stroke of a key.
Promising to use the technology to investigate serious international crimes like human trafficking, the agency netted nearly $1 million to procure software from Peregrine Technologies during the latest round of funding in February from the State Board of Immigration Enforcement.
But critics warn that what makes this kind of technology attractive to law enforcement — its ability to rapidly merge and analyze disparate data sources — threatens to erode individuals’ privacy…