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You don't see a problem when a constitutionally protected activity summons a police brigade? What exactly is police doing watching people exercise their rights?

You don't see a problem when a constitutionally protected activity summons a police brigade? What exactly is police doing watching people exercise their rights? I think you can understand that people who have thought about this a lot more than you can realize the problem here.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago
Protests are monitored by police because mobs are a very real threat whenever a large group of people assemble for a cause. The mere existence of police surveillance in a public demonstration is not at all unreasonable in my opinion. Case in point, if there was no police presence whatsoever at the Capital protest there's a very real possibility a few senators might be dead right now.
- Fogest 6y ago
  And let's be fair, it's not uncommon especially at larger protests for their to be conflict that requires police intervention. Just like how police forces will have the bad people that bring down the rest of the force, groups of protestors also face similar problems. Different people in the protest have different perspectives and ideas of what makes a good protest and what is effective. Some people think violence and destruction is needed and often these people have mob-like effect. If one person starts doing it often that spreads through the group and more people are breaking laws. Without some law and order in there things get out of hand pretty quick as we have seen in many protests in America, but also across the world.
ggreer 6y ago
The police weren't using Ring to do any sort of blanket surveillance of protesters. They were investigating crimes. All requests from the LAPD referenced specific case numbers. See page 22 of this pdf[1] for an example. I've transcribed one: --- > Dear Neighbor, > Ring is contacting you on behalf of Detective Alex Giron of the Los Angeles Police Department, who is seeking videos recorded between [redacted], in connection with the investigation of an incident (Incident #[redacted]) near your home. > A message from Detective Giron: > Hello Ring neighbors. We are looking for any video that may help us identify a suspect that [redacted]. Any information would be appreciated. > Sharing your video recordings with the Los Angeles Police Department is entirely optional and will not provide the department with access to your Ring device(s). If you choose to share your Ring video recordings, the Los Angeles Police Department will also receive your email address and street address. Click the button below to review and share select Ring video recordings. > If you do not wish to participate, simply ignore this request and nothing will be shared with the Los Angeles Police Department, including whether or not this request was sent to you. If you do not wish to receive requests like these in the future, click here to opt out. --- The request then gives some contact info for the detective in case the recipient has any questions. I see nothing objectionable about this request. It looks to be entirely opt-in. It protects the privacy of Ring users while also making it convenient for citizens to help the police solve crimes. That the EFF is making a big deal of this only serves to reduce my respect for them. I now worry that they're going down the same path as the ACLU and SPLC. 1. https://www.eff.org/files/2021/02/11/nr20-5328_emails_redacted.pdf https://www.eff.org/files/2021/02/11/nr20-5328_emails_redact...

AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago

Protests are monitored by police because mobs are a very real threat whenever a large group of people assemble for a cause. The mere existence of police surveillance in a public demonstration is not at all unreasonable in my opinion. Case in point, if there was no police presence whatsoever at the Capital protest there's a very real possibility a few senators might be dead right now.

Fogest 6y ago
And let's be fair, it's not uncommon especially at larger protests for their to be conflict that requires police intervention. Just like how police forces will have the bad people that bring down the rest of the force, groups of protestors also face similar problems. Different people in the protest have different perspectives and ideas of what makes a good protest and what is effective. Some people think violence and destruction is needed and often these people have mob-like effect. If one person starts doing it often that spreads through the group and more people are breaking laws. Without some law and order in there things get out of hand pretty quick as we have seen in many protests in America, but also across the world.

ggreer 6y ago

The police weren't using Ring to do any sort of blanket surveillance of protesters. They were investigating crimes. All requests from the LAPD referenced specific case numbers. See page 22 of this pdf[1] for an example. I've transcribed one: --- > Dear Neighbor, > Ring is contacting you on behalf of Detective Alex Giron of the Los Angeles Police Department, who is seeking videos recorded between [redacted], in connection with the investigation of an incident (Incident #[redacted]) near your home. > A message from Detective Giron: > Hello Ring neighbors. We are looking for any video that may help us identify a suspect that [redacted]. Any information would be appreciated. > Sharing your video recordings with the Los Angeles Police Department is entirely optional and will not provide the department with access to your Ring device(s). If you choose to share your Ring video recordings, the Los Angeles Police Department will also receive your email address and street address. Click the button below to review and share select Ring video recordings. > If you do not wish to participate, simply ignore this request and nothing will be shared with the Los Angeles Police Department, including whether or not this request was sent to you. If you do not wish to receive requests like these in the future, click here to opt out. --- The request then gives some contact info for the detective in case the recipient has any questions. I see nothing objectionable about this request. It looks to be entirely opt-in. It protects the privacy of Ring users while also making it convenient for citizens to help the police solve crimes. That the EFF is making a big deal of this only serves to reduce my respect for them. I now worry that they're going down the same path as the ACLU and SPLC. 1. https://www.eff.org/files/2021/02/11/nr20-5328_emails_redacted.pdf https://www.eff.org/files/2021/02/11/nr20-5328_emails_redact...