German police develop ’Nazi Shazam’ to weed out neo-Nazi groups

Shazam is undoubtedly an impressive tool; its ability to identify millions of tracks through audio-recognition software is still remarkable more than a decade after its development and launch.

German authorities seem to agree, and have developed their own smartphone app that will allow them to recognise neo-Nazi music, which they believe is used to lure youth into the abhorrent sub-culture.

According to Spiegel, ministers of the country’s 16 regional states are meeting this week to discuss the use of the software, which, according to an internal government report, will be effective in “sparing resources and enabling very quick investigations.”

The prevalence of neo-Nazi music, with its hateful subject matter, led to the Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Minors last year classifying 79 pieces of music as unsuitable, due to their ideology and lyrical content. The index restricts the sale or broadcast of this material to people under 18. This is where the software can be used: police attending neo-Nazi gathering will effectively be able to shut down any events where this music is recognised and it is suspected that minors are in attendance.

Obviously such electronic profiling is not likely to go unchallenged, and as Spiegel points out, there are numerous legal issues to first content with – such as whether this software is even permissible (it may constitute unauthorised surveillance; it may contain inherent flaws; it may be able to be breached by a third party).

While the intent is certainly honourable, the knock-on effects of such targeted surveillance may turn out to be less-than-desirable.