This is a very scary move not only in terms of individual privacy and freedoms, but the impact on those young minds. The police have compared it to their drug intervention program which identifies children using or susceptible to drug use. No matter how bad drugs might be, that label cannot be compared to the "potential terrorist" label.
How can the police be sure that it won't be used by extremist organizations as evidence of Muslims being targeted? How can they ensure confidentiality of identities of those "identified" as "potential terrorists?" If identities are disclosed what will stop radical organizations from trying to brainwash them completely? Those people are known for extremely secretive operations anyways. How do you ensure that the kids won't become social outcasts due to the potential danger they pose? The psychological impact this would have on them (already vulnerable in their teens) and the long term repercussions? What about the innocent children who happen to know them. How will the police look at them? Will they be guilty by association? Evidently the information would be on the kids "files" forever. So how would they have a normal life?
While I understand the importance of preventing terrorism and terrorists, the operative word in this British operation is "children." How radical can children as young as 13 be? Teenagers are rebellious. So do you keep identifying them as potential this and that, or do you let them live out their childhood? No state intervenes because a child is into extremely violent video games, or excessive porn, and what have you. I do not mean that we should let kids grow up and become terrorists, but identifying and labeling them as "potential terrorists" in their most vulnerable years is definitely not the way to go.
How can the police be sure that it won't be used by extremist organizations as evidence of Muslims being targeted? How can they ensure confidentiality of identities of those "identified" as "potential terrorists?" If identities are disclosed what will stop radical organizations from trying to brainwash them completely? Those people are known for extremely secretive operations anyways. How do you ensure that the kids won't become social outcasts due to the potential danger they pose? The psychological impact this would have on them (already vulnerable in their teens) and the long term repercussions? What about the innocent children who happen to know them. How will the police look at them? Will they be guilty by association? Evidently the information would be on the kids "files" forever. So how would they have a normal life?
While I understand the importance of preventing terrorism and terrorists, the operative word in this British operation is "children." How radical can children as young as 13 be? Teenagers are rebellious. So do you keep identifying them as potential this and that, or do you let them live out their childhood? No state intervenes because a child is into extremely violent video games, or excessive porn, and what have you. I do not mean that we should let kids grow up and become terrorists, but identifying and labeling them as "potential terrorists" in their most vulnerable years is definitely not the way to go.
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