Verkada in Chinatown Oakland, CA
Information Certainty: Speculative
Deployment Purpose: Criminal investigations, Surveillance
| Summary |
|---|
| 0 |
Products and Institutions:
| Product Deployed | Verkada Command (VMS) |
|---|---|
| Institutions ⠉ | Verkada |
| Datasets | Verkada (Dataset) |
| Search software |
Status and Events:
| Status | Ongoing |
|---|---|
| Events | Start (2 September 2021, Documented, , No description) |
| Start Date | |
| End Date |
Users:
| Involved Entities | Oakland Police Department |
|---|---|
| Managed by | Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce |
| Used by | Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce |
Location:
| City | Oakland (CA) |
|---|---|
| Country ⠉ | USA |
Description[ ]
Following a rise in racist attacks, Verkada donated cameras to the OCCC. Though they state there is no facial recognition in place, it may be in use. SanFrancisco and Oakland were one of the first cities to ban facial recognition in 2019. However officers in San Francisco were subsequently found to have used it.
In April of 2021, OCCC president Carl Chan was attacked in the city’s downtown while on his way to help another assault victim. Chan recalls that his attacker called him an ethnic slur and cursed repeatedly. “He did not rob me so it was basically just an assault; an attack.” While he was on the ground, Chan managed to take a photo of the suspect, which helped Oakland police make an arrest shortly after 1
In response to the attack on Chan and rise in anti-AAPI violence, Verkada has donated 20 video security cameras to the OCCC and pledged 100 cameras to be installed across different AAPI communities. The goal is to provide organizations with the tools that they need to keep people, property and assets safe, while protecting individuals’ right to privacy 1
To emphasize the privacy concerns from the community, the camera footage only be used to assist essential criminal investigations. Chan says , “We will work with police to provide footage that may coincide with a criminal investigation.” The footage review requests must be submitted by police with case numbers or the victims who report the crimes to the police. The security cameras will only be reviewed by designated Chamber staff. With full clarity and ownership over its video security data, the Chamber can protect its communities in ways that respect individuals’ privacy, while simultaneously keeping them safe. Although cameras can support edge-based People Analytics that include Face Search and Person of Interest alerts, these capabilities are turned OFF by default to ensure compliance with local laws. Administrators are able to limit who has access to these features so that potentially sensitive data is only used by those who have a need – and right – to know. Additionally, Verkada does not natively integrate with any third-party databases; data cannot be shared without the Chamber’s knowledge and consent 1
References
- a b c d "Protecting People and Privacy with the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce". (2022) <https://www.verkada.com/customers/oakland-chinatown-chamber-of-commerce/> Accessed: 2022-06-27
- ^ "Security cameras installed throughout Oakland Chinatown to deter crime". (2021) <https://www.ktvu.com/news/security-cameras-installed-throughout-oakland-chinatown-to-deter-crime> Accessed: 2022-06-27