On August 22, 2022, Oakland Privacy, along with Berkeley residents Adolfo Cabral, J.P. Massar and Cindy Shamban filed a lawsuit against the City of Berkeley seeking to end the City’s decision to exempt public cameras they are deploying on major intersections from the city’s surveillance transparency lawsuit.
The suit asks for the camera usage policy to come up for noticed public comment and receive a vote from the City Council, for the usage policy to be legally enforceable and for annual reporting on camera usage and metrics.
The City claimed the cameras, initiated by District 2 representative Terry Taplin, were exempt from the surveillance transparency ordinance because they are affixed to city property. This claim expands the definition of “city property” from city-owned buildings and lands to every public right of way throughout Berkeley.
Read our legal complaint below: