Privacy
Coverage of the way technology is changing the kinds of data state and local government collects about citizens, how it uses that data and the ethical and security implications of that. Includes stories about police body cameras, facial recognition, artificial intelligence, medical data, surveillance, etc., as well as privacy policy nationwide.
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The City Council has approved a three-year, $200,000 contract to install the surveillance devices. Data collected may be used by other state and local law enforcement at city discretion, the police chief said. -
After roughly 90 minutes of public comment, nearly all in opposition, the Flagstaff City Council voted to end its contract for automated license plate readers. The devices came into use last year.
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The city’s police chief reviewed its contract with the vendor providing the cameras and will brief the Common Council, as officials contemplate placing more devices. The city, not the vendor, owns the data collected.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has introduced two new pieces of legislation: one to protect consumers from the costs of AI data centers and one that would establish an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights.
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The Olympia Police Department has contacted the vendor and requested their deactivation, which is imminent. The move follows community concerns around issues including privacy and immigration enforcement.
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The license plate reading cameras, usually mounted on 12-foot poles, have quickly become standard in police departments across the country, including the Dallas Police Department.
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The cameras can track fugitives, monitor suspicious activity and more, but they must be used responsibly and ethically in order to keep us all safer.
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The City Commission rejected a two-year pact with a company that would have stood up 13 cameras around the city. Dozens of residents expressed concerns at recent and past commission meetings.
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Cellular telephones and other electronic devices including cameras are no longer permitted in the Forsyth County Courthouse. The aim is to prevent “recording and dissemination of images” of authorities and victims.
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The Connecticut ACLU is demanding officials turn off automatic license plate reader cameras across the state until laws are passed to prevent misuse of personal data collected by the surveillance.
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A multistate agreement between New York, California, Connecticut and Illuminate Education reinforces growing expectations that technology vendors take stronger measures to protect student information.
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The borough Police Department used a state grant to buy four new body-worn cameras and three automated license plate readers. It includes a 10-year vendor contract that will enable periodic technology replacement.
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The town board voted unanimously last month to put bags over the devices. A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen and the mayor will scrutinize how police use license plate readers and security cameras.
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Proponents of synthetic data see it as the future, saying it will help government have more access to valuable data while at the same time protecting individual privacy.
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The town Board of Commissioners approved a two-year pact to install 10 surveillance cameras, but subsequently canceled it. Staff and board members expressed privacy concerns around data sharing.
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The City Council will consider reversing a policy banning encryption of police channels. Critics argue doing so would deprive the public of a tool to monitor crime and hold officers accountable.
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Officials are no longer using cameras that read license plates, while they seek a court ruling on whether images recorded are public record. The city’s seven such cameras were disabled in June.
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Flagstaff is deciding on whether the police department should continue to use Flock Safety’s automated license plate cameras — a common but controversial technology used nationwide.
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Digital safety isn’t just compliance — it’s design philosophy, according to industry leaders from MagicSchool AI, Kahoot! and AI for Equity at the EdTech Week conference in New York City.
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Even with the removal, the system still covers at least 1,000 of the 9,100 miles of state highways as transportation officials push to provide certainty about road conditions and monitor traffic.
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Several community organizations are asking the University of Arizona to end its contract with a license plate reader company that has recently come under fire for sharing data.
