Urban Surveillance
4 months ago
- #policing
- #privacy
- #surveillance
- The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) was an early adopter of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) in 2013, initially retaining data for six months before public pressure reduced it to 14 days.
- ALPR technology has become more pervasive, with data now retained for a year and shared with law enforcement nationwide, raising concerns about privacy and mass surveillance.
- Flock Safety, a major ALPR vendor, has been criticized for unethical practices, including facilitating data sharing that violates privacy laws and ignoring public perception.
- Police departments often bypass public scrutiny by keeping surveillance technology purchases secret or accepting donations from private entities, further obscuring accountability.
- Facial recognition technology is overestimated in effectiveness; most surveillance cameras are poorly positioned for it, and deployments are limited by cost and legal risks.
- License plate reading (ALPR) is more advanced and widely used than facial recognition due to the readability of license plates and lower technical barriers.
- Flock Safety's low-cost ALPR systems and aggressive sales tactics have led to widespread adoption, including by private organizations, with minimal oversight.
- Public-private partnerships and flexible funding sources have enabled the spread of ALPR, often prioritizing wealthier, low-crime neighborhoods over higher-crime areas.
- Flock's data-sharing features have led to violations of state privacy laws, with many users unaware their data is being shared with other agencies.
- The lack of transparency and public organizing against mass surveillance has allowed its unchecked growth, with advocacy for legislative oversight being a potential solution.