Public surveillance in Portland, Oregon
Information Certainty: Rumoured
Deployment Purpose: Criminal investigations, Surveillance
| Summary |
|---|
| 0 |
Products and Institutions:
| Product Deployed | Unknown Products 0012 |
|---|---|
| Institutions ⠉ | |
| Datasets | Unknown Dataset 0033 |
| Search software |
Status and Events:
| Status | Concluded |
|---|---|
| Events | ? (27 May 2020, Rumoured, , No description) |
| Start Date | |
| End Date |
Users:
| Involved Entities | US Marshalls |
|---|---|
| Managed by | Portland Police Bureau |
| Used by | Portland Police Bureau |
Location:
| City | Portland ORE |
|---|---|
| Country ⠉ | USA |
Description[ ]
During the 2020 George Floyd actions in Portland, Oregon, law enforcement engaged in mass surveillance practices, such as collecting racial and religious information about protestors without cause. There is speculation about the use of biometric and other forms of surveillance and what their exact extent was at this time. It can be ascertained that law enforcement collected video and social media evidence of protestors that could have been run through FRT. Like in Washington, D.C, there was also aerial surveillance of the protests. These protests lasted for around 100 consecutive days, and there were additional protests the following summer in 2021 which the Audit also considered. Auditors reviewed some of the video evidence collected:
A one and a half minute video from May 31, 2020 shows a crowd gathered on Southwest 3rd Avenue in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center, and includes radio transmissions with officers on the ground saying they were “taking aerial mortars.” Two other videos from March 27 and May 1, 2021 show what appears to be thermal camera footage of two different incidents where the police air support unit helped track a fleeing person. The auditors said “the technology does not appear capable of capturing images in enough detail to identify individuals or vehicles.” 1
The police bureau wasn’t alone in the skies over Portland during 2020, however. In June, a plane once registered to the U.S. Marshals Service — and now registered to a company believed to be a U.S. Marshals front — circled over downtown. The agency never explained what information it was collecting, if any. And in July 2020, an advanced U.S. Air Force surveillance plane was circling overhead, raising fears the military was sending surveillance equipment to Portland typically reserved for special operations units abroad. The Air Force later told Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, the Air Force was conducting a long scheduled test flight which had nothing to do with the violent federal protest response taking place on the ground below 1
In 2022, Portland introduced ordinances surrounding the use of facial recognition and other surveillance technologies. These ordinances were actually proposed by Smart City PDX.
What’s initially intriguing about the ban is that it is actually separated into two ordinances. The first half took effect immediately upon its approval on Sep. 9, 2020 and the second half as a city code took effect on Jan. 1, 2021. The first ordinance covers the prohibition of the use of facial recognition by city bureaus, while the city code explicitly outlines prohibitions and guidance for privatized use of facial recognition in places of “public accommodation.” While they may be the most restrictive policies against facial recognition software, even the most well-crafted laws have their limitations due to their language use and strict legal interpretations 2
Although the ban does not grant complete anonymity, it does mean any photos taken either from social media or law enforcement themselves cannot be run through any facial recognition software to identify and incriminate protestors, nor can the PPB or any other city bureau outsource the task. Cameras in Portland’s street light sensors have since been disabled for this reason as well, protecting the privacy of protestors that take to downtown city streets 2
References
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- a b "Audit finds issues with Portland Police Bureau’s surveillance practices during 2020 protests". (2022) <https://www.opb.org/article/2022/04/06/audit-portland-police-bureau-surveillance-practices-during-protests/> Accessed: 2022-06-11
- a b "A deep dive into Portland’s facial recognition ban". (2021) <https://psuvanguard.com/a-deep-dive-into-portlands-facial-recognition-ban/> Accessed: 2022-06-11