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LAPD Being Sued Over Use, Compilation of ALPR Surveillance Data

05/17/2013 avforensic

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According to Fox News, the LAPD is currently being sued in a joint lawsuit by the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The lawsuit says that the LAPD has been using Automatic License Plate Readers, or ALPRs, to compile massive amounts of data on the travelling habits of the citizens of Los Angeles and that they are refusing to share this data.

EFF Staff Attorney Jennifer Lynch feels the public should have access to this data, seeing as law-abiding citizens are being tracked, recorded and monitored. “By matching your car to a particular time, date and location – and building a database of that information over time – law enforcement can learn where you work and live, what doctor you go to, which religious services you attend, and who your friends are.”

We say at least let defense attorneys have access to the same information that the police have so they can have a fair shot at litigation.

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FBI Being Sued Over Secret Surveillance Program

04/23/2013 avforensic

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RT.com is reporting that the FBI has been working on a secretive, state-of-the-art database with the power to track down anyone, anywhere, at any time. The program, called “Next Generation Identification,” or, “NGI” program, was first announced more than a decade ago, but the FBI has been tight-lipped about it since. Now, they claim the system is more than 60% complete.

However, the privacy watchdog group EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) is suing the FBI for failure to respond to official Freedom of Information Act requests regarding the program. According to EPIC, the NGI program pulls personal information from both public and private surveillance systems and compiles the information in an all-inclusive database, which they say is an invasion of privacy, seeing as information is being collected about people who are neither criminals nor suspects.

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NYPD Suddenly Doesn’t Love Surveillance So Much

04/23/2013 avforensic

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In New York City, the public is demanding that the NYPD be put under the same surveillance that the majority of citizens are subject to. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg and police commissioner Raymond Kelly are leading an on-going campaign to prevent surveillance of the police, claiming that putting police officers under surveillance could actually endanger citizens.

Salon.com’s David Sirota claims that if anything, having police under surveillance will keep them honest and ensure that they are protecting individuals’ civil liberties, seeing as police brutality cases are becoming more and more common.

As this on-going fight rages on, check back with the NCAVF for updates on the newest in audio and video surveillance policy and high definition video technology.

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