Ethical and privacy issues limit the emerging use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by police to combat cyber crimes. Comment. (Answer in 150 words)

- Ethical and privacy issues limit the emerging use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by police to combat cyber crimes. Comment. (Answer in 150 words)
Introduction
AI enables police to detect cybercrime through pattern recognition, anomaly detection, facial recognition and predictive analytics. However, its expanding use raises serious ethical and privacy concerns.
Body
Key Ethical and Privacy Issues:
1. Mass Surveillance: Continuous monitoring of digital activity may intrude upon the constitutional right to privacy under Article 21.
2. Algorithmic Bias: Biased datasets can disproportionately target particular communities, producing discriminatory policing.
3. Opacity: “Black-box” algorithms may make it difficult to explain why an individual was flagged as suspicious.
4. Data Protection: Large police databases containing biometric and personal information are vulnerable to misuse, leaks and cyberattacks.
5. False Positives: Incorrect facial recognition or behavioural predictions may lead to wrongful investigation or harassment.
6. Accountability: Responsibility becomes unclear when automated systems contribute to erroneous decisions.
AI can nevertheless assist cyber-forensics and fraud detection if supported by human oversight, lawful data collection and independent audits.
Conclusion
Thus, AI-enabled policing must balance security with privacy, proportionality, transparency and accountability, ensuring technology assists rather than replaces responsible human judgment.