Long-wavelength imaging and the 4th Amendment
Name
920674430-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
5.38 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
961fa800a8c63026de8310e0d4521ed7
Author(s)
Bedri, Hisham
Advisor(s)
Nicholas A. Ashford and Ramesh Raskar.
Alternative Title
Computational imaging and the fourth Amendment
Date Issued
2015
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Great levels of computational power and new kinds of sensors are being embedded into today's mobile devices. Through computation and new algorithms, the power of these sensors is being harnessed to form full images of scenes around corners and behind walls. This technology has great benefits and can revolutionize human-computer interaction and disaster response, however, it poses interesting questions about privacy and surveillance when anyone with a mobile device, including the police, have the ability to see what was previously invisible. An analysis of federal laws and Supreme Court precedents show that the expectation of privacy test is not appropriate when an advanced imaging technology is in widespread use. The lesson drawn by this thesis is that by establishing legislation that defends privacy as a right, and defines it in a human-centric fashion, regulations can be instated that protect privacy while allowing new technologies to be developed. This thesis addresses computational imaging in the context of privacy in two steps. First, architectures are presented for capturing images around corners using sound, and through walls using Radio-Frequencies (RF). Then, federal laws and relevant court cases are analyzed to show that the legal precedent is unclear in the context of widely-distributed imaging technologies which can see into a space without entering it. Through this analysis, policy recommendations are given for a new regulatory framework which can protect privacy without sacrificing innovation.
Description
Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2015.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. "This thesis was supervised by Nicholas A. Ashford, Professor of Technology and Policy, School of Engineering, and Ramesh Raskar Associate Professor, Program in Media Arts & Sciences. Ramesh Raskar supervised the technical aspect of chapters 2, 3, and 4"--Page 2.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 118-131).
Subjects
Engineering Systems Division.
Technology and Policy Program.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
