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EFF’s new database reveals what tech local police are using to spy on you

133 points by wobbly_bush 6y ago

StreamBright 6y ago
Body worn cameras are listed as spying devices? Does that make sense?
- bitxbitxbitcoin 6y ago
  If they are constantly recording, uploading, and being used for facial recognition I think it does.
  - StreamBright 6y ago
    Not sure what version they got. I think the public is on the upper side here, losing a bit of privacy and gaining more transparency. Results differ between countries: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/body-worn-cameras-what-evidence-tells-us https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/body-worn-cameras-what-e...
    - throwaway2048 6y ago
      Body cameras are still a form of surveillance even if you agree with it.
- elliekelly 6y ago
  A bit more than a decade ago I think body worn cameras would have been almost exclusively associated with spying. I think the important difference is whether the camera is used for transparency or for information gathering. A body camera used (or intended to be used) to monitor police is, in my mind, a body camera aimed at increased transparency in the policing process. A body camera used to collect data like license plates or used for facial recognition seems more like spying to me.
- dfxm12 6y ago
  It really comes down to what their purpose is and how they're used in reality. Ostensibly, we are told they are used for police transparency and accountability, but is that really the case? One 2016 study found that 92.6 percent of prosecutors' offices nationally in jurisdictions where police wear body cameras have used that footage as evidence in cases against private citizens, while just 8.3 percent have used it to prosecute police officers. [0] In any case, they definitely are "surveillance" technology, which is the language EFF uses [1] (the usage of "spy tech" in the headline is editorialized). 0 - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/body-cameras-are-seen-as-key-to-police-reform-but-do-they-increase-accountability https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/body-cameras-are-seen-... 1 - As in the "Atlas of Surveillance" https://atlasofsurveillance.org/ https://atlasofsurveillance.org/
vuln 6y ago
Link to EFF page: https://atlasofsurveillance.org/ https://atlasofsurveillance.org/ Link to previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23824845 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23824845
- mrlatinos 6y ago
  Why is this not the OP link?
  - wobbly_bush 6y ago
    OP here, I missed the earlier discussion. Didn't realize this was duplicate. The news article has link to the actual portal along with some extra information.
lukejduncan 6y ago
I posted this in the previous HN convo but reposting: And this is just state surveillance. There’s a guy who’s building a private surveillance network in San Francisco, with the buy in of the District Attorney and local police departments, and a goal of complete surveillance of city streets. https://www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/business/camera-surveillance-san-francisco.amp.html https://www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.nytimes.c... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/business/camera-surveillance-san-francisco.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/business/camera-surveilla...
hedora 6y ago
It would be great if there was a call to action button on each entry on the map. Who do I call to complain about the license plate readers (or whatever)?
rezeroed 6y ago
Any plans to go international? I see there is a collaborate page: https://supporters.eff.org/collaborate-atlas-surveillance https://supporters.eff.org/collaborate-atlas-surveillance

133 points by wobbly_bush 6y ago

StreamBright 6y ago

Body worn cameras are listed as spying devices? Does that make sense?

bitxbitxbitcoin 6y ago
If they are constantly recording, uploading, and being used for facial recognition I think it does.
- StreamBright 6y ago
  Not sure what version they got. I think the public is on the upper side here, losing a bit of privacy and gaining more transparency. Results differ between countries: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/body-worn-cameras-what-evidence-tells-us https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/body-worn-cameras-what-e...
  - throwaway2048 6y ago
    Body cameras are still a form of surveillance even if you agree with it.
elliekelly 6y ago
A bit more than a decade ago I think body worn cameras would have been almost exclusively associated with spying. I think the important difference is whether the camera is used for transparency or for information gathering. A body camera used (or intended to be used) to monitor police is, in my mind, a body camera aimed at increased transparency in the policing process. A body camera used to collect data like license plates or used for facial recognition seems more like spying to me.
dfxm12 6y ago
It really comes down to what their purpose is and how they're used in reality. Ostensibly, we are told they are used for police transparency and accountability, but is that really the case? One 2016 study found that 92.6 percent of prosecutors' offices nationally in jurisdictions where police wear body cameras have used that footage as evidence in cases against private citizens, while just 8.3 percent have used it to prosecute police officers. [0] In any case, they definitely are "surveillance" technology, which is the language EFF uses [1] (the usage of "spy tech" in the headline is editorialized). 0 - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/body-cameras-are-seen-as-key-to-police-reform-but-do-they-increase-accountability https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/body-cameras-are-seen-... 1 - As in the "Atlas of Surveillance" https://atlasofsurveillance.org/ https://atlasofsurveillance.org/

vuln 6y ago

Link to EFF page: https://atlasofsurveillance.org/ https://atlasofsurveillance.org/ Link to previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23824845 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23824845

mrlatinos 6y ago
Why is this not the OP link?
- wobbly_bush 6y ago
  OP here, I missed the earlier discussion. Didn't realize this was duplicate. The news article has link to the actual portal along with some extra information.

lukejduncan 6y ago

I posted this in the previous HN convo but reposting: And this is just state surveillance. There’s a guy who’s building a private surveillance network in San Francisco, with the buy in of the District Attorney and local police departments, and a goal of complete surveillance of city streets. https://www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/business/camera-surveillance-san-francisco.amp.html https://www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.nytimes.c... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/business/camera-surveillance-san-francisco.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/business/camera-surveilla...

hedora 6y ago

It would be great if there was a call to action button on each entry on the map. Who do I call to complain about the license plate readers (or whatever)?

rezeroed 6y ago

Any plans to go international? I see there is a collaborate page: https://supporters.eff.org/collaborate-atlas-surveillance https://supporters.eff.org/collaborate-atlas-surveillance