POLICE OFFICIALS IN FRESNO, CALIFORNIA ARE BEING
QUESTIONED ABOUT THE WAY THEY ARE SURVEILLING THEIR RESIDENTS.
THE WAY THEY ARE DOING IT IS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, A
VERY COMPETENT STRATEGY.
THEY DON'T DO WHAT MOST POLICE DEPARTMENTS DO, WHICH IS TO
RELY ON FEDERAL OR LOCAL DATABASES.
THEY ARE USING A NEW SOFTWARE THAT COMBINES ALL OF THE
DATABASES YOU CAN THINK OF, AND ALSO GIVES INDIVIDUAL
SCORES BASED ON WHAT THEY HAVE POSTED IN THE PUBLIC.
SPECIFICALLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
"A NEW GENERATION OF TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS THE B WHERE SOFTWARE
BEING USED IN FRESNO CALIFORNIA HAS GIVEN LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICERS UNPRECEDENTED POWER TO
PEER INTO THE LIVES OF CITIZENS."
SOME DETAILED EXAMPLES, "ON FIFTY-SEVEN MONITORS THAT COVER
THE WALLS OF THE POLICE STATION, OPERATORS EXHUMED AND PANNED
AN ARRAY OF ROUGHLY 200 POLICE CAMERAS PERCHED ACROSS THE CITY.
THEY COULD BUY WHAT 800 MORE FEEDS FROM THE CITY'S
SCHOOLS AND TRAFFIC CAMERAS, AND THEY SOON HOPE TO ADD 400
MORE STREAMS FROM CAMERAS ONE ON OFFICERS BODIES AND FROM
THOUSANDS FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS.
OFFICERS CAN ALSO TRAWL A DATABASE THAT HAS RECORDED
MORE THAN 2
BILLION SCANS OF VEHICLE LICENSE PLATES AND LOCATIONS NATIONWIDE.
IF GUNSHOTS WERE FIRED, A SYSTEM CALLED SHOTSPOTTER QUOTA
TRIANGULATE THE LOCATION USING MICROPHONES AND STRONG
AROUND THE CITY.
ANOTHER MEDIA PROGRAM CALLED MEDIA SONAR CRAWLED SOCIAL
MEDIA LOOKING FOR ILLICIT ACTIVITY.
POLICE USED IT TO MONITOR INDIVIDUALS, THAT TO
SCHOOLS AND HASHTAGS RELATED TO GANGS."
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE LAST PART, BECAUSE IT IS PROBLEMATIC
BECAUSE IT IS BASED ON WHAT YOU POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SOMETIMES THE THINGS YOU POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA ARE NOT REAL TO
WHO YOU ACTUALLY ARE.
THERE WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO WANTED TO TEST IT BASED ON
WHAT HE POSTED.
HE WAS A GREEN, MEANING NOT A THREAT, BUT HIS HOME CAME UP AS
A YELLOW, MEANING SOMEONE LIVING IN THE HOME COULD BE A THREAT.
HE IS LIKE, NO ONE IN MY FAMILY IS A THREAT, IT MUST BE
SOMEONE WHO USED TO LIVE AT MY HOUSE.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IF I CALL THE POLICE IF I NEED YOU?
THE POLICE ARE GOING TO SHOW UP PARANOID, AND THAT IS NOT GOOD.
AS USUAL WITH THESE THINGS, IT IS A MIXED BAG.
IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW WAS HURT IN A CRIME, WOULD YOU WANT
THEM TO BE ABLE TO TRIANGULATE AND FIND ON CAMERA WHO IT
WAS AND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE AND PUNISH THEM?
YOU WORD, SO THAT IS WHY IT IS REALLY ALLURING.
IMAGINE SOMEBODY YOU KNOW WAS MUGGED, RAPED OR KILLED, I
WANT TO FIND THE PERSON WHO DID IT AND THIS CAN HELP US DO IT.
THE BAD SIDE IS, WELL OKAY NOW WE ARE INTO THOUGHT CRIMES
AS WE TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
THEN THERE IS THE PART THAT IS TOTALLY MISLEADING.
HOW MANY MEMES HAVE YOU SEEN THAT INVOLVE VIOLENCE,
POSTED BY SOMEONE WHO DID NOT INTEND VIOLENCE AT ALL.
AL PACINO, SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND.
GANGSTER RAP, SCARFACE, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE.
COPS ARE ALREADY TRIGGER-HAPPY IN THIS COUNTRY, AND THEN
YOU ARE GOING TO SHOW THEM A YELLOW OR A RED LIGHT AT A
HOUSE, JESUS CHRIST.
THEN THERE IS THE THIRD THING, THE DOWNSIDE, WE ARE ALL
BEING MONITORED, AND THAT IS BIG BROTHER.
YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING IN THE PUBLIC NOW WITHOUT THEM
HAVING IT ON TAPE SOMEWHERE.
I THINK IT IS A NATURAL HUMAN URGE, THAT IS UNNERVING TO ME.
I DON'T LIKE THAT, I DON'T LIKE THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS
TRACKING ME AT ALL TIMES.
I AGREE WITH YOU.
IT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE CERTAIN SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS IN PLACE
TO ENSURE THAT IF THERE IS A SHOOTING OR A ROBBERY IN A
PUBLIC SETTING, YOU HAVE SOME EVIDENCE OF THAT SO THAT YOU CAN
PROSECUTE AND BRING PEOPLE TO
JUSTICE.
BUT I THINK RELYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM
IS A REALLY BAD IDEA, ESPECIALLY GIVEN CASES IN THE PAST
WHERE INNOCENT KIDS, FOR INSTANCE, GOT TARGETED BY
POLICE OFFICIALS BECAUSE THEY POSTED THAT LYRICS ON FACEBOOK.
THAT LYRICS ARE VIOLENT, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE PERSON
POSTING THEM, OR EVEN ONE WHO BROKE THEM IS A VIOLENT PERSON.
IT IS A FORM OF EXPRESSION AND ART.
SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THAT, I GET THAT, BUT AGAIN THAT IS NOT
A REPRESENTATION, OFTEN TIMES, OF THE PEOPLE WHO POSTED IT.
I WORRY ABOUT THAT AND I WORRY ABOUT OUR PRIVACY, AND
FEELING COMFORTABLE IN A PUBLIC SETTING.
FOR THE MOMENT BEING, WE THINK THEY ARE GOING TO USE
IT ON CRIME, BUT EVEN SO IT HAS ALL THESE THIS ADVANTAGES
WE LISTED FOR YOU.
IMAGINE IT IS EVERYWHERE, AND YES A LOT OF THE GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS MIGHT BE DECENT, GOOD PEOPLE, SOME OF THEM ARE NOT
GOING TO BE GOOD PEOPLE.
THEN THEY ARE GOING TO TRACK THEIR WIVES OR EX-WIVES, OR
EX-HUSBANDS, OR CURRENT HUSBANDS.
UN GAMBLING, WHAT KIND OF MASSAGE DID YOU GET?
WHY DID YOU GO TO THE BANK?
WHY DID YOU TAKE ALL THAT MONEY?
WHY DID YOU SEE BOB?
WHY DID YOU CCD?
AND ON AND ON IT GOES.
NOW YOU HAVE GIVEN AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF POWER TO THESE
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
SOME ON THE RIGHT IDEA OR DON'T LIKE THAT.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, YOU MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT THIS
PROGRAM THAT IS VERY REAL, AND IT IS COMING TO A NEIGHBORHOOD
NEAR YOU.