Community groups are continuing to advocate against the spread of Shotspotter gun detection technology. In Columbus, Ohio, a viral video of police abuse following a Shotspotter alert enraged the community and incited advocates who “noted the consistency of the technology…
Author: Tracy Rosenberg
License Plate Readers at Vallejo Ferry Terminal
by Mike Katz-Lacabe The Vallejo Police Department cited ferry terrorism as part of its $30,000 grant application for license plate readers, calling the ferry “a viable threat for a terrorist act.” According to the grant application, the “Grant Funds will…
Privacy Advocates Stay On CA AG To Tighten CCPA Rules
Privacy advocates, including Oakland Privacy, commented on the second iteration of operational rules for the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which the AG hopes to begin enforcing on July 1, 2020. The statewide coalition of privacy groups asked the…
San Mateo County Sheriff Used Clearview AI 2,700+ Times
Public records requests associated with the expose of Cleaview AI, a shady facial recognition startup that scraped billions of images from social media and then sold access to that database to at least 2,200 customers, reveal that the San Mateo…
Body Worn Camera Policy Modified by Council Review in Berkeley
On March 10, the Berkeley City Council completed their mandatory review of body worn camera policy under the surveillance transparency (CCOPS) ordinance passed in the City in March of 2018. Surveillance transparency laws require the legislative body to formally approve…
Santa Cruz Committee Unanimously Forwards 1st Predictive Policing Ban in US
On March 11, the Public Safety committee of the Santa Cruz City Council unanimously recommended passage of a surveillance transparency ordinance for the City of Santa Cruz. The proposed ordinance includes a complete ban on the use of predictive policing…
Bay Area UASI 2020
Every March, the Department of Homeland Security gifts Bay Area law enforcement with funds for new equipment through the Bay Area UASI. 55 out of 146 requests will be fulfilled and the winners are …. The City of Vallejo and…
25 Groups Object to Graham-Blumenthal Anti-Encryption EARNIT Act
25 civil society groups, led by the Open Technology Institute at New America and including Oakland Privacy, sent a letter objecting to the EARNIT Act, which seeks to weaken encryption standards. The letter states: “By setting the stage for adoption…
40 Civil Rights Groups Ask Colleges To Keep Facial Recognition Off Campuses
An open letter from an assortment of civil rights groups, including Oakland Privacy, asked university administrators to keep their campuses free of facial recognition. On March 2, students and faculty at schools across the country will organize to reject facial…
CA State Auditor Says CA ALPR Use Imperils Privacy
A state audit of license plate reader use by CA law enforcement agencies requested by State Senator Scott Weiner concluded that existing policies were largely not compliant with existing state law and that laws needed to be strengthened. The CA…