Privacy Matters | Privacy SOS

Boston’s surveillance ordinance is set to go into effect in August. Here’s what you need to know.

07/12/2022

Last year, the City of Boston voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that will require community control over police surveillance (CCOPS). After being signed into law in November 2021, the ordinance is now set to go into effect in August 2022. Boston...
Mayor Janey: Stop Secret Surveillance in Boston!

05/26/2021 - Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Dissent, Freedom of Speech, Internet of Things, Mass Surveillance, Security Theater

UPDATE: Victory! Acting Mayor Janey pulled the plug on the RFP, thanks to your advocacy. When we fight, we win! A request for proposals (RFP) published on the City of Boston’s website in April, first reported by DigBoston, raises extremely alarming concerns...
Your Car’s Location Information Is Up For Grabs

04/14/2021

Last year, Joshua Wessel, a man in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was arrested for the June 2017 murder of Ronald French. Using data stored in Mr. French’s car, investigators identified Mr. Wessel as the person who gave voice instructions to the car’s infotainment system—a...
Victory! Massachusetts passes new protections for transit riders

01/25/2021

Thanks to the work of the ACLU of Massachusetts and coalition allies working with the MBTA, the Governor last week signed into law crucial new protections for transit riders. Included in omnibus transportation bond legislation approved by the Governor were two key...
Dissent is Not Terrorism: Bringing local, democratic control over police surveillance in Boston

11/01/2020 - Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, DHS, Dissent, FBI, Freedom of Speech, History, Law Reform, Mass Surveillance, New COINTELPRO, Police Militarization, Racism, Secrecy, Terror Wars, Youth Rights

Recent reporting from Los Angeles highlights the urgent need for city councils across the United States to take control of local government surveillance operations, subjecting police spying to democratic control, oversight, transparency, and public accountability. On November 10, Boston residents have an...
Bias All the Way Down: Research Shows Domino Effect When Humans Use Face Recognition Algorithms

09/22/2020 - Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Biometrics

Earlier this month, Portland, Oregon joined over a dozen other municipalities nationwide that have banned government use of face surveillance technology. And with a new study confirming that face recognition algorithms can influence human perceptions of faces, it’s become even clearer: police...
Wear a Mask: Federal Study Finds COVID-19 Masks Fool Face Recognition

08/28/2020 - Biometrics

Wearing a mask protects you from more than just the coronavirus. A new federal study of 89 facial recognition algorithms has found that every single one of them performed worse – many over 30 times worse – when analyzing images of masked...
Mass. High Court: Cops Must Get a Warrant to Conduct Long-term Video Surveillance of a Private Home

08/14/2020 - Law Reform

Last week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled in Commonwealth v. Mora that the Massachusetts state constitution prohibits police from conducting continuous, long-term pole camera surveillance targeted at a private home without a warrant. The Massachusetts highest court’s decision builds upon...
Huge Win For Privacy: Europe Highest Court Strikes Down E.U-U.S Data Transfer Pact

07/22/2020

Last week, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg—Europe’s top court— ruled that the agreement that allowed data transfers between the European Union and the United States is invalid under European law. In a crucial pro-privacy ruling, the Court decided that the...
Overwhelming Support For Banning Face Surveillance In Boston: When We Fight, We Win!

06/12/2020 - Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Biometrics, Mass Surveillance, Racism

On Tuesday afternoon, in a four-hour-long hearing at the Boston City Council’s Committee on Government Operations, the ACLU of Massachusetts, Muslim Justice League, Student Immigrant Movement, Unafraid Educators, Algorithmic Justice League, and Boston Teachers Union joined forces with MIT researchers, the National...