Biometric plan for motorists
Drivers in the UK who get stopped by the police could have their fingerprints taken at the roadside, under a new plan to help officers check people's identities, according to BBCNews.
Ten police forces in England and Wales are testing a handheld biometric device, which is linked to a database of 6.5 million prints.
The major benefit of the project, say police, is that it will save time because people will no longer have to go to the station to prove their identity.
Chinese Web pornographer jailed for life
A Chinese Web pornographer, who reportedly founded the country's largest pornography Web site, has been sentenced to life imprisonment, according to The Register.
"The Taiyuan Intermediate People's Court jailed 28-year-old Chen Hui for his part in establishing 'Pornographic Summer' and three other unnamed sites," reads the article.
Eight other organisers of Chen's sites were sentenced to between 13 months and 10 years in prison. Established in 2004, Pornographic Summer had about 600 000 users.
Internet extends reach of Bangladeshi villagers
Bangladeshi villagers are beginning to see the benefits of their first Internet access, all connected over cellphones, reports The Washington Post.
"Millions of people who have no land-line telephones, and often lack electricity and running water, have, in recent months, gained access to services considered basic in richer countries: weather reports, e-mail, even a doctor's opinions," explains the article.
'Big Brother' cameras listen for fights
In some British public places, a new generation of closed-circuit TV cameras now have the ability to listen for disturbances and also keep an eye on citizens.
"The system has already been put into use in the Netherlands to listen for people speaking in aggressive tones, to try to counter violent attacks in Dutch streets, prisons and railways," notes News.Com.
The system works by putting microphones in CCTV cameras to continually analyse the sound in the surrounding area. If aggressive tones are picked up, an alarm signal is automatically sent to the police, who can zoom in the camera to the location of the sound and investigate the situation.
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