UW report states federal immigration agencies accessing WA police cams
Federal agencies accessing ‘Flock’ camera systems in WA
Big Brother is watching you. A new University of Washington report released today shows federal agencies — including ICE — are accessing local police department cameras.
SEATTLE, WA - A new University of Washington report released Tuesday shows federal agencies are accessing local police department cameras, and at least two local departments say they were unaware it was happening.
The report was released by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights. It states that U.S. Border Patrol had unauthorized direct or indirect access to traffic cameras that capture drivers’ information throughout cities.
What they're saying:
"It should be a wakeup call for all us as Washingtonians about the vulnerability of the technology that is being used to scoop up our data," said Angelina Godoy director of the UW Center for Human Rights.
Law enforcement says the cameras, which are through the company Flock Safety, have led to numerous arrests of violent suspects and the recovery of stolen cars.
They are installed throughout cities and read license plates as cars drive by. The report from UW shows federal agencies could also access many of the local department’s cameras.
Local perspective:
"It’s very clear both on the immigrants’ rights front and the access to reproductive healthcare front, that Washington stands firmly in favor of peoples’ rights and yet, for Washingtonians’ data to be leaked to entities that don’t share those values is worrisome," said Godoy.
Godoy tells FOX 13 Seattle federal agents gained access to local data through three different ways:
- Directly, by a department sharing access to federal agencies.
- Through backdoor access to the networks of at least 10 Washington police departments who did not authorize the border patrol searches.
- And indirectly, by a member of law enforcement doing searches for federal agencies. For example, the report says the Yakima County Sheriff's office made two searches with the reason listed as "ice".
The Response:
"We immediately paused all access to any outside agencies while we make sure we can determine where we can put guard rails in place with Flock and with all of our detectives and investigators to make sure this doesn’t happen again," said Deputy Chief Ryan Rutledge with the Renton Police Department.
Rutledge tells FOX 13 Seattle the Renton Police Department had no idea its cameras were vulnerable to unauthorized federal access.
Renton is now requiring any outside agency, including other local police departments, to submit a specific request to them to access their data.
The Auburn Police Department released a similar statement saying they are working to make changes.
Big picture view:
"It’s deeply revealing if their answer is, ‘we had no idea that our tools were being used in that way.’ Well, if you have the tool, you have the responsibility to ensure you are using it responsibly, ethically, and in compliance within state law," said Godoy.
In regard to the report, Governor Bob Ferguson told FOX 13 Seattle, "My team is following up with the Office of the Attorney General on the assertions made in the report, and working to ensure local jurisdictions are complying with the bipartisan Keep Washington Working Act."
Flock Safety releases a statement in response to UW's report
The company behind the cameras, Flock Safety, provided this statement to FOX 13 Seattle:
We appreciate and value the attention that privacy advocates pay to Flock. Unfortunately, these activists published a report that is full of inaccuracies and misconceptions about our technologies and their use that we’d have been happy to clear up, had they reached out to us prior to publication.
Most importantly, there is no "back door" into Flock. Every Flock customer has complete control over their sharing relationships, and Flock never shares customer data without authorization. Much of this report consists of old claims and allegations that have been addressed and, in some cases, that have led to improvements in our products.
Local public safety agencies collaborate with federal agencies on a wide variety of serious crimes, including human and narcotics trafficking and multi-jurisdictional cases. If agencies choose to collaborate with federal agencies, that is wholly up to them. Flock never enrolls agencies in automatic data sharing, and sharing relationships can be revoked at any time.
We are extremely proud of the positive, community-enhancing impacts our products have had across Washington and the nation. From helping locate vehicles wanted in hit-and-runs, to identifying homicide suspects, and bringing justice to victims of kidnapping and abuse, Flock technology is making communities across Washington safer today. Activist detractors downplay and even ignore those positive impacts and outcomes; the communities that we help make safer do not.
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