Stories by Rod McCullom : Contently

The Atlantic

Your Fingerprints Can Show If You've Done Drugs

The technology has titillated law-enforcement and corrections officials, and it may have useful applications for professionals working in drug treatment, elder-care centers, and other inpatient and outpatient facilities. However, the emergence of technologies like these has some observers feeling a bit uncomfortable about how, where, and to whom they are likely to be applied. More pointedly, the ability to glean detailed information about a person from a mere fingerprint—Do they smoke cigarettes? Use marijuana? Enjoy fatty foods? Drink alcohol?—raises a number of knotty questions.

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undark.org

Creating Criminals: The Misguided Crackdown on HIV/AIDS

California has long been at the vanguard of public health initiatives that were once derided as wrongheaded but are now considered mainstream: auto emissions tests, clean air and anti-smoking laws, bike helmet regulations, medical marijuana. But there’s at least one policy the state has had great cause to regret.
California’s anti-HIV law was harsh: Exposing an unknowing person to the virus was made a felony, punishable by up to eight years in prison.
In the mid-1980s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic w...

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The Atlantic

Threading a City With Gunfire Sensors Might Not Make It Any Safer

In late November, the city of Chicago surpassed 600 homicides—the overwhelming majority from handguns—for the second year in a row, and for only the third time since 2003, according to data reported by the Chicago Tribune. Sadly, in their efforts to address this seemingly intractable epidemic of gun violence, police officials seem to be placing unfounded faith in technology to solve the problem.

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undark.org

Sensors and Software Listen for Gunfire in Chicago. Does it Make a Difference?

In late November, the city of Chicago surpassed 600 homicides — the overwhelming majority from handguns — for the second year in a row, and for only the third time since 2003, according to data reported by The Chicago Tribune.

The technology can detect gunfire, but there is no independent scientific research to demonstrate that it decreases gun violence.

That brings the total to more than 3,400 shootings across the city so far this year.

Sadly, in their efforts to address this seemingly intra...

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undark.org

As Police Drones Proliferate, Regulation is Needed to Prevent Misuse

The Los Angeles Police Department faced stiff opposition Tuesday, after it approved a year-long trial to use drones as a crime-fighting tool in hostage situations, high-speed chases, and other law-enforcement functions. The decision comes after years of criticism from electronic privacy and civil rights advocates, who fear the technology lacks transparency and is ripe for abuse by authorities.
Drones are likely to become a bedrock part of policing well before anyone has a chance to study thei...

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www.poz.com

Hurricanes Threaten HIV Progress in Puerto Rico

Although devastated by Hurricane Irma in early September and Hurricane Maria almost two weeks later, Puerto Rico has experienced some positive developments. About half—some 45 percent—of the approximately 3.4 million people now have access to drinking water, according to data released by the Puerto Rican government and reported by USA Today.
But most of the island remains in the dark. The power grid—which required significant investments before the storms, due to the island’s decade-long econ...

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www.poz.com

Island Fever: Puerto Rico’s economic crisis threatens critical progress on HIV

A wave of extreme austerity measures are aggravating Puerto Rico’s already significant public health challenges, such as higher rates of diabetes, asthma, cancers, infant mortality and HIV. Residents also face intersecting socioeconomic inequities that are fueled by the island’s political and economic dependence on the United States