January 22, 2024 at 11:40AM
The Street Surveillance Hub by the Electronic Frontier Foundation exposes the extensive surveillance systems in the US, providing detailed breakdowns and a news feed. Efforts like the Atlas of Surveillance and advocacy aim to shed light on privacy infringements. With police and technology companies expanding surveillance, local and state legislation is crucial for protecting privacy rights. Contributions to the Atlas of Surveillance are welcome.
Based on the meeting notes, the key takeaways are:
1. The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Street Surveillance Hub provides detailed insights into the extensive surveillance systems in use in the United States, including bodycams, biometrics, predictive policing software, and drone-equipped law enforcement. It also features a news feed to keep concerned citizens updated on surveillance news and allows contributions to the Atlas of Surveillance.
2. The Atlas of Surveillance enables individuals to check the specific law enforcement technologies used in their local areas, including license plate readers, drones, and gunshot detection microphones, and highlights collaborations with third-party entities like home security vendor Ring.
3. Concerns have been raised about the misuse of intrusive information harvested through police, homeowners, and personal technology, leading to privacy issues.
4. There is a shift in law enforcement towards more targeted surveillance technologies such as automated license plate readers, indicating a change in focus from previous strategies.
5. Surveillance is not limited to law enforcement and extends to private technology companies and personal devices, leading to an increasingly ubiquitous surveillance landscape.
6. The need for renewed legislative efforts at the city and state level to protect individuals’ privacy, as the federal government has been perceived to have largely neglected this responsibility.
7. The call for public contributions to the Atlas of Surveillance project to gather information about police department technology deployments and to engage in community-based efforts to address surveillance concerns.
These takeaways provide a comprehensive overview of the issues discussed in the meeting and can serve as the basis for further action or discussion.