Privacy SOS

See some surveillance technology in your Boston hood? Add it to this crowdsourced map

For a few reasons, it's to date been impossible to create a map of surveillance cameras and other spy devices in Boston. For one thing, the City of Boston has previously refused to disclose to the ACLU the locations of its hundreds of networked surveillance cameras, many of which were purchased with DHS funds. Another complication is that many other agencies in the city have their own camera systems, including the MBTA and the Department of Transportation, to name just two.

The Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, a new organization founded by longtime Boston muckraker Chris Faraone, wants your help to fill the gap. BINJ is crowdsourcing a surveillance device map, something I've long wanted to do. Please help out by posting photos of surveillance equipment to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #BINJbrother. Further instructions below. And spread the word!

© 2024 ACLU of Massachusetts.