Headline December 01, 2016/ ''' *STUDENTS BULLET-PROOFED* ''' : !WOW!

''' *STUDENTS BULLET-PROOFED* ''' : 

!WOW!

J. PETE BLAIR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at *Texas State University*- 

Is skeptical about how much protection a backpack offers: ''We teach : 'avoid, deny, defend,'''' he says. 

''So having a backpack on your arm as a shield? I don't know where that would really factor in or that people would be able to effectively [use} it.''

He adds that a quarter of mass shooters carry high-caliber assault weapons, which can penetrate the IIA Kevlar currently being tested for Monahan's iBackPack.

[Monahan say he plans to test and offer stronger types, but they weigh more.]

The backpack is a response to not only school shootings but also new laws.In Texa, where Monahan's operation is based, concealed handgun license holders can carry guns in buildings on public college campuses starting Aug 1. last.

That's why Monahan's team is marketing the  iBackPack to Texas College students and faculty, sending emails that offer to help :

''Craft a program where teachers, administrators, staff and students are all bullet-proofed.''   

THE SECURITY INDUSTRY traditionally revolved around three G's: guns, guards and gates.

Technology is reshaping that landscape, building on these foundations and undoubtedly creating new issues along the way.

Lee Tien, senior staff attorney at the Electronics Frontier Foundation, a non profit focused on  civil liberties  in the digital world, says he is concerned about the  ''collect-it-all, Big Data mentality'' of the industry.

''Frequently, users may not have consented to or even know their data is being collected, much less know what's actually being done with their data once it's collected,'' he adds. 

''Big Data often means that data being used for something different than its original purpose.''  

NUMEROUS COMPANIES HAVE sprung up trying to meet the these kinds of challenges. Last year,  Qognify, which helps protect environments-

Where any lapses could be ruinously expensive and damaging  -like airports and Olympic Games  -released software called  ''suspect search'' that indexes video to make it easily searchable.

The system uses video analytics to assign every individual on screen a unique digital signature, which is stored in a database that can be searched. 

Using a tool like this, investigators can save hours or days of scouring footage for suspects.

''[It] can be used in hindsight, a day later when someone is reporting something or very close to real time,'' says Illy Gruber, vice president of marketing at Qognify.

It's already been rolled out in numerous airports, medical centers and city surveillance networks globally. though all such clients have asked for anonymity, Gruber says.

Security companies appear aware  of these worries. Gruber notes that Qognify's video search tool creates a database of avatars generated from a footage, rather than strong actual images of people.

Similarly FST Biometrics doesn't save its users' images. Instead translating them into an algorithm.   FST Biometrics's  Zussman also stresses their technology allows  -rather than denies   -access, and nothing more.

''We're not a blacklist,'' he says. ''We're never going to be all over the street for facial recognition.......That's not our market.''

The shift to digital security that uses tools like biometric verification and mobile credentialing also brightens fears around protecting the data sets integral to their use.

Tien warns putting terabytes of sensitive data together in one place for any purpose creates a huge target for malicious attackers looking to score the next breach.

Security industry professionals insist they are constantly updating their own protection protocols, and that their systems pass the highest data assurance tests, in which external parties evaluate their ability to withstand attempted hacks.

In enrolling such systems, users do put a somewhat blind faith in the operator's ability to secure it. But this isn't all that new; the same thing happens   and has happened for years-

When people gave their information  -to retailers and government agencies and plug it into their cellphones.

And numerous examples from, from the 2013 hack of retailer Target  -which exposed 40 million customers'  Financial Data  to warnings by the California Department of Motor Vehicles 2014 of a possible breach-

Of its credit card  processing services, shows even the biggest, best known entities can struggle with the task.

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society   and.........       Twitter-!E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' Shaping Future '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless