The White House has reportedly been presented with a project that involves using technology to collect data that can prevent mass violence.
Trump's View On Mental Health And Violence
President Donald Trump thinks mentally ill people are primarily to blame for the mass shootings that occur in the country.
Earlier this month, the President said the United States should build more mental health institutions to combat gun violence, adding that many Republican leaders and the public do not want "insane people, dangerous people, bad people" to own guns.
The Washington Post now reports that the Trump administration has been briefed on a proposal that could help detect early signs of mental illness that could lead to violence.
HARPA
The proposal involves using volunteer data to detect neurobehavioral signs that indicate someone is headed toward a violent explosive act.
It is part of an initiative to establish the new agency Health Advanced Research Projects Agency (HARPA) within the Health and Human Services Department that would reportedly be modeled on the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The Suzanne Wright Foundation, which advanced the idea in 2017, reportedly reapproached the administration last week to propose for the inclusion of the "Safe Home" — "Stopping Aberrant Fatal Events by Helping Overcome Mental Extremes" in the HARPA project.
Data Collection
The proposal lists technologies that could be used to help collect data and these include smart devices such as Apple Watches, Fitbits, Amazon Echo, and Google Home.
The document also included so-called powerful tools collected by healthcare providers and these include fMRIs, tractography, and image analysis.
"HARPA would develop "breakthrough technologies with high specificity and sensitivity for early diagnosis of neuropsychiatric violence," the proposal reads, according to the Washington Post .
"Advanced analytical tools based on artificial intelligence and machine learning are rapidly improving and must be applied to the data."
HARPA Not Collecting Sensitive Health Data
Those familiar with the project said HARPA would not collect sensitive health data without individual permission, saying that the government simply wants to identify risk factors when it comes to mental health that may indicate violent behavior.
They said privacy need to be safeguarded and profiling needs to be avoided. They added that data protection capabilities will be the cornerstone of the effort.
