High-tech security solutions to combat crime across Europe
The internet and globalisation have empowered international crime rings and terrorist groups. Sophisticated theft, child pornography, terrorist attacks and human trafficking have taken on an alarmingly global dimension, prompting a need for high-tech solutions to neutralise such threats. The EU-funded INDECT (Intelligent information system supporting observation, searching and detection for security of citizens in urban environment) project worked on developing solutions designed with data protection and privacy in mind for police and other law enforcement authorities in the EU. To address automatic threat detection in urban environments, project partners developed novel software. The software supports decision-making in thwarting terrorist attacks and combating criminal activities such as human trafficking, child pornography, detection of dangerous situations and the use of dangerous objects in public spaces. The team enhanced closed-circuit television strategies by focusing on potential threats instead of continuous monitoring of daily actions. The INDECT solution automatically alerts operators only when a threat is detected, enabling them to decide on the course of action. Sources that distribute child pornography or information related to the illegal trade of human organs were identified. Project members developed a system that is particularly adept at finding illegal content hidden in large data volumes. Data and privacy protection techniques were also developed using digital watermarking and cryptographic software. Over 50 working prototypes were created, some of which were presented at international fairs and conferences. In addition, more than 400 scientific papers were published in leading journals. By introducing new approaches to threat monitoring, the solutions delivered by INDECT will tackle cybercrime, terrorism and hooliganism from detecting abandoned luggage to analysing threatening sounds.
Keywords
Criminal activities, terrorism, INDECT, data protection and privacy, threat detection
