Category Archives: Surveillance technology

Boston Globe: Editorial: Facial-recognition tech may have value, but real-time surveillance goes too far (“Software that identifies people in videos could create a privacy nightmare. A patchwork of city bans won’t prevent it.”)

Vox: Why we don’t know as much as we should about police surveillance technology by Rebecca Heilweil (“Despite a growing number of high-tech tools, law enforcement agencies don’t seem to want to disclose what they’re using.”)

Chicago Sun Times: CPD using controversial facial recognition program that scans billions of photos from Facebook, other sites by Tom Schuba (“Critics say Clearview AI’s software is an invasive overreach because it grabs the photos without the consent of those … Continue reading →

Maneater: MU assessing new attendance-tracking app this semester by Joy Mazur (“Students have raised privacy concerns over more advanced tracking methods.”): MU is now testing SpotterEDU, an app used to track attendance in classrooms. The pilot test taking place during … Continue reading →

EFF: New Bill Would Make Needed Steps Toward Curbing Mass Surveillance by India McKinney & Andrew Crocker (“The Safeguarding Americans’ Private Records Act is a Strong Bill That Builds on Previous Surveillance Reforms”)

WaPo: Perspective: Facebook will now show you exactly how it stalks you — even when you’re not using Facebook by Geoffrey A. Fowler (“The new ‘Off-Facebook Activity’ tool reminds us we’re living in a reality TV program where the cameras … Continue reading →

The Intercept: The Rise of Smart Camera Networks, and Why We Should Ban Them by Michael Kwet (“The rise of all-seeing smart camera networks is an alarming development that threatens civil rights and liberties throughout the world. Law enforcement agencies … Continue reading →

WaPo: Editorial: A scary new facial recognition tool underlines the urgent need for privacy laws (“Privacy Doomsayers have always said the failure to regulate surveillance technology would result in the end of anonymity. But we didn’t realize doom might come … Continue reading →

NYTimes: You Are Now Remotely Controlled (“Surveillance capitalists control the science and the scientists, the secrets and the truth.”):

NYTimes: Jeff Bezos’ Phone Hack Should Terrify Everyone by Charlie Warzel (“Those with the most to lose don’t always safeguard their privacy very well. You can do better.”)

WaPo: Saudi crown prince implicated in hack of Jeff Bezos’s phone, U.N. report will say by Marc Fisher and Steven Zeitchik (“A United Nations investigation to be released Wednesday will report that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s cellphone was hacked in … Continue reading →

NY Times: The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It by Kashmir Hill A little-known start-up helps law enforcement match photos of unknown people to their online images — and “might lead to a dystopian future or … Continue reading →

NYTimes: How the Police Use Facial Recognition, and Where It Falls Short by Jennifer Valentino-DeVries (“Records from Florida, where law enforcement has long used the controversial technology, offer an inside look at its risks and rewards.”)

WaPo: Editorial: California’s privacy law was supposed to spur Congress to act. It flubbed instead. (“Last year was supposed to be the year of a federal privacy law. But Congress flubbed it, so the digital privacy law that seems likely … Continue reading →

The Recorder/Law.com: Ring Slapped With Lawsuit Following Reports of Camera Security Breaches by Alaina Lancaster (“Despite Amazon-owned Ring’s suite of security offerings, the federal complaint contends that the company has failed to set up ‘even basic cybersecurity protections.’”)

USA Today: Racial bias in facial recognition software: What travelers should know as TSA, CBP expand programs by Curtis Tate (“The Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been testing facial recognition technology at airports across the … Continue reading →