UK testing new algorithm that seeks to prevent violence before it happens

jjslash writes: The UK government is working on a new data-driven program designed to predict who might commit serious violent crimes in the future. Originally dubbed the “homicide prediction project,” the initiative uses algorithms to comb through data on hundreds of thousands of individuals — including crime victims — in an effort to identify those deemed most at risk of becoming violent offenders. TechSpot reports:

There have been several stories over the years about different governments creating crime-predicting algorithms, leading to comparisons to the 2002 movie Minority Report – even though that film involved clairvoyant humans. The UK government is the latest to come under the spotlight for working on this technology, but officials insist it is only a research project – at least for now.

Civil liberties group Statewatch uncovered the project through the Freedom of Information Act. It claimed that the tool was developed using data from between 100,000 and 500,000 people. Statewatch says the group includes not only those with criminal convictions, but also victims of crime, though officials deny this is the case, claiming it only uses existing data from convicted offenders.

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