While scientists are highly questioning the use of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics in crime fighting, police have a firm belief in it.

INSIGHT | Interpol’s predictive policing platform
Statewatch reports that the International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, is building a vast data-processing platform called INSIGHT that is ultimately supposed to provide police forces around the globe with “predictive analytics” generated from Interpol’s internal data, information received from its member states, “external” sources such as commercial databases, and “visual, video, audio recognition, facial and bio-data matching.” The US State Department has so far committed more than $12 million for the project.

More information in the article Interpol: multi-million dollar “predictive analytics” system under construction.

European police surveillance of social movements
A new guide created by Statewatch, European Digital Rights, IT-Pol and Access Now aims to improve the ability of activists and campaigners to request data held on them by Europol, the EU’s policing agency, and to increase public and political scrutiny of European police forces gathering data on individuals’ political activities.
Police forces have always closely observed protest, activist and campaign groups, and information recently made public suggests that over the last year European police forces have acquired a renewed interest in environmental movements.

More information in the article Scrutinising European police surveillance of activists: new guide on personal data requests.