As part of the Being Watched research project, we have invited experts in law, technology, and public policy, civil rights advocates, as well as local government representatives to participate in our expert survey. In this post, we share some of the preliminary results based on the data we have gathered so far, hoping both to stimulate conversations among the participants and to encourage more experts to contribute to our survey. The following is a summary of responses to some of the key questions.
Q: What are the two most important issues local government should take into account when passing an ordinance that regulates public camera systems?
The most frequently mentioned issues are data (access, use, retention), transparency, and privacy. Other issues include accountability, police access, use of AI, racial equity, functionality, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
Q: What are the primary risks of implementing public camera systems?
The most frequently mentioned risks are abuse/misuse, privacy violation, and police access. Other risks include high costs, facial recognition technology, lack of public trust, racial inequity, damage to freedom of expression, cybersecurity, and other unintended consequences.
Q: What are the primary benefits of implementing public camera systems?
The most frequently mentioned benefits are increased safety, situational awareness, and emergency response. Other benefits include crime surveillance & deterrence, data collection, efficiency, traffic & crowd control, curbside management, and friction reduction between local governments and the public.
Q: What skills should be required of staff working with public camera systems?
The most frequently mentioned factor is staff training in terms of privacy, appropriate use & storage, cybersecurity (e.g., hacking), legal frameworks, data analysis, and emergency response. Other factors include accountability (in case of misconduct), activity log, security clearance, and audit.
Q: When asked whether a list of technical capabilities should be included in the public camera systems, our expert respond: yes, no, maybe, or unfamiliar. Here are the top results for each response category.
Yes
- Pedestrian and vehicle counting
- Tamper detection
- Speed detection
- PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom)
- Remote access & cloud backup
No
- Facial recognition
- Biometrics
- Speakers
- Automated number plate recognition
- Vehicle type recognition
- Gunshot spotting
- Automatic ticket-issuing systems
Maybe
- Local storage
- Sound recording
- Automatic ticket-issuing systems
- POE (power over ethernet)
- Speakers
- Thermal imaging
- High-definition video
- Wireless connection
Unfamiliar
- Edge recording & edge computing
- POE (power over ethernet)
- Motion sensing
These preliminary results will help us better understand the benefits & risks of implementing a variety of camera systems and what local governments can do to mitigate the risks. This information will also inform the design of our upcoming focus groups with local constituents and a public survey for residents in the city of Austin.