NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Influx of records requests may force police to drop body cams
Influx of records requests may force police to drop body cams
(KOMO): http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Police-Body-Cameras-282218401.html
But last month reality hit, in the form of a new YouTube user website,
set up by someone under the name, "Police Video Requests." The
profile says it posts dash and body cam videos received after public
records requests to Washington state police departments. There are
just a couple of police videos there posted within the past week.
People can set up user accounts and if there are enough subscribers
and page views they can make money -- think of crazy animal videos.
But in this case, it's videos of people the police have stopped or
interacted with for one reason or another. It doesn't sit well with
local police departments. "They're just using it to post on the
internet," said Chief Townsend, "and I suspect it's for commercial
purposes." In September, "Police Video Requests" anonymously asked
Poulsbo PD for every second of body cam video it has ever recorded.
The department figures it will take three years to fill that request.
And Chief Townsend believes it is a huge privacy concern, as officers
often see people on their worst days. "People with mental illness,
people in domestic violence situations; do we really want to have to
put that video out on YouTube for people? I think that's pushing it a
little bit," he said.
- - -
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
I am a consultant to Google -- I speak only for myself, not for them.
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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