Privacy

The inaugural yearly report aims to address privacy and lack of transparency concerns. It shows how the Boston Police Department uses technology to prevent crime, including cellphone monitoring and cameras in neighborhoods.

A new lawsuit says the city has ignored its law that requires elected official approval for facial recognition use for at least four years, allowing officers to use whatever surveillance techniques they choose.

The Senate Commerce Committee will mark up the long-delayed legislation before Congress’ recess in August, Chair Maria Cantwell said. The markup of a House version was canceled last month, but it retains support, she said.

The incident, first publicly reported in October, appears to have not resulted in any victimizations by identity theft or fraud. It’s unclear how the data breach happened, but the city’s Law Department has notified those affected.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal urged customers to seek credit monitoring the company is providing. Data from 560 million customer accounts may have been exposed in the May incident.

A proposal set for a vote Wednesday in the House of Representatives would ban “data brokering” firms from selling, leasing, trading or renting location data. Consumer consent would be required before collection or processing.

The new police chief is using emergency powers to quickly get more surveillance cameras in Hillcrest amid an increase in hate crimes against the LGBTQ community and before the Pride Parade this month.

Michael Simeone, who became the city’s inaugural chief technology officer in March, said his focus has been “getting the Board of Education and the city back on track” after a June 2023 breach.

Law enforcement agencies statewide offer data collected via automated license plate readers to federal and out-of-state counterparts. But state Attorney General Rob Bonta has ordered agencies to safeguard that information.

Heritage Valley Health System will pay the federal government $950,000 to settle potential patient privacy violations after a ransomware attack in 2017 crippled the system's electronic medical records system.

After a seven-month investigation into automated license plate readers, Sacramento County's Grand Jury found the county Sheriff's Office and the Sacramento Police Department improperly shared data with out-of-state agencies.

Two local governments have taken steps to make residents aware of their digital rights. Experts argue that cities actually have a responsibility to do so.

City officials said Tuesday they had deployed the first 100 cameras; the other 300 are expected to be on the street by July. The devices, paid for by a $17 million state grant, are intended to take on organized retail theft.

Ruling that the Fourth Amendment protects a person’s right to privacy, a Norfolk Circuit Court has granted a defendant’s motion to suppress evidence obtained by city-owned license plate reader cameras, but without a search warrant.

Alarmed by the reach and rapid expansion of license plate cameras, privacy advocates have filed suit in Illinois, saying the cameras violate the Constitution’s protections against unreasonable search.

Los Angeles Unified School District is investigating claims that a user on the dark web posted student information including home address, homelessness status, disability status and contact information for relatives.

A bill introduced in the New York City Council last week would change the New York City Correction Department’s longtime practice of recording and keeping jail telephone calls. A court-ordered warrant or consent would be required.

Police in Anchorage, Alaska, began using body-worn cameras this year. Now, body cam video of a fatal officer-involved shooting could test a state position on releasing footage that could be evidence.