San Francisco SafeCity Camera Program

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San Francisco SafeCity Camera Program
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Deployment Status Ongoing
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Country USA
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Deployment Purpose: Criminal investigations, Surveillance

Summary
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Location:

CitySan Francisco (CA)
CountryUSA
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Description[ ]

The camera networks that are being used in San Francisco were purportedly put in place to develop a SafeCity concept for the purposes of crime deterrence. The camera networks are operated by various non-profits. SafeCity San Francisco states that it does not use the cameras for live feeds or facial recognition. However the cameras have this potential and have been found to have been used as live feeds to identify protestors (which is illegal in San Francisco).

The SF SafeCity Camera Program adheres to strict policies and procedures with privacy protocols in place; there is no live monitoring of the system, no facial recognition, no audio recording, and footage requests are only granted to law enforcement entities 2

The camera network is operated by the Union Square Business Improvement District (BID), a special taxation district created by the City and County of San Francisco, but operated by a private non-profit organization. These networked cameras, manufactured by Motorola Solutions' brand Avigilon, are high definition, can zoom in on a person's face to capture face-recognition ready images, and are linked to a software system that can automatically analyze content, including distinguishing between when a car or a person passes within the frame 3

According to logs obtained by EFF, SFPD has regularly sought footage related to alleged looting and assault in the area associated with the ongoing protests against police violence. However, SFPD has gone beyond simply investigating particular incident reports and instead engaged in indiscriminate surveillance of protesters 3

The technology that Mr. Larsen is using is sophisticated — video management from Motorola Solutions, evidence management from Genetec. Those same cameras, and the software supporting them, can be used for more than what they are currently doing 4

References

  1. a b  Bowles, Nellie. Why Is a Tech Executive Installing Security Cameras Around San Francisco?. , 2020.
  2. ^  "SF Safe City Camera Program". (2022) <https://sfsafe.org/sf-safe-city-camera-program/> Accessed: 2022-06-02
  3. a b c  "San Francisco Police Accessed Business District Camera Network to Spy on Protestors". (2020) <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/07/san-francisco-police-accessed-business-district-camera-network-spy-protestors> Accessed: 2022-06-02
  4. ^ sfsafeSFSafeCity