One week after the 1st reading of Oakland’s benchmark Surveillance Equipment Regulation Ordinance, here are links to and brief excerpts from all (or at least most…) of the coverage from the media.
Techdirt
Oakland Residents Now Protected By The ‘Strongest’ Surveillance Oversight Law ‘In The Country’
After years of deploying surveillance tech with minimal oversight and zero public notice (sometimes even city lawmakers were cut out of the loop), law enforcement agencies are being reined in by their overseers…
Gizmodo
Oakland Passes Nation’s Strongest Surveillance Technology Ordinance Yet
On Tuesday, Oakland passed a new ordinance regulating the use of surveillance devices by the city. While it’s not the first municipality in the nation to do so, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are saying Oakland’s ordinance is the strongest one yet…
Ars Technica
Oakland passes “strongest” surveillance oversight law in US
…The new law requires that the Privacy Advisory Commission be notified if the city is spending money or seeking outside grant money to be spent on any hardware or software that could potentially impact privacy. Notably, Oakland’s law specifically includes provisions that forbid non-disclosure agreements and protect whistleblowers…
Motherboard
Oakland Proposes Strongest Anti-Surveillance Regulations in the Country
“The City Council finds it is essential to have an informed public debate as early as possible related to the City of Oakland’s acquisition and use of surveillance technology,” the bill states.
East Bay Times
Oakland to require public approval of surveillance tech
Oakland’s ordinance is unlike any other in the nation in that it requires any city department that wants to purchase or use the surveillance technology to submit a “technology impact report”…
“This is the strongest ordinance in the country, giving Oakland communities the power to understand the technologies that are being proposed in the city, and to have a voice in saying if, when and how surveillance is used in the city,” Tessa D’Arcangelew, of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, said at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Los Angeles Times
Surveillance bill could push other cities and counties to follow Oakland police tech policies
A coalition of civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups has penned a letter in support of a state bill that would force California police and sheriff agencies to disclose all of their surveillance gear, as Oakland this week approved similar requirements through what may be the strongest city surveillance ordinance in the country.
Futurism
As “Smart Cities” Come Into Focus, California Laws Seek To Limit Surveillance Technology
Streetlights that can monitor your every move. Crosswalks that shame you if you jaywalk. Artificially intelligent CCTV systems that can catch criminals in the act… But it comes at a cost: citizen privacy. And several cities in California aren�t ready to give into this Orwellian fever dream just yet… California privacy advocates say it is “more critical than ever that the amount of surveillance and personal data collected be the bare minimum, to ensure the safety of our community from unlawful and inhumane targeting,” as Brian Hofer, a member of the citizen group Oakland Privacy… wrote in a March opinion piece.
The Daily Caller
Oakland Passes Powerful Bill To Combat Explosion Of Government Surveillance Tech
…Police all across the country have steadily acquired and utilized such technology for alleged law enforcement purposes. Sometimes, those endeavors fall outside the bounds of what is legal or constitutional. Holding them accountable, however, is often difficult because it’s not always clear to the average person if and when law enforcement is using covert tactics and devices like Stingrays…
Daily Kos
Oakland Passes Toughest Surveillance Regulation Law in Country.
…
Now we can begin to watch them as they are watching you. And me. And your friends. And the Muslim couple down the street. And the Black Lives Matter activist over there.
And that’s a good thing.