Legal
ACLU: More Surveillance Cameras Don’t Make You Safer
video.surveillance.205×205.jpg Big images below. In a post last month , we told you about a new website called CommunityCam , which planned to use crowd-sourcing techniques to document and map all the security cameras in public areas throughout Denver and other nearby areas . The site’s founder mainly portrayed such surveillance devices as good things — no surprise, given that his main company sells and markets them. But the ACLU of Boulder’s Judd Golden doesn’t equate more cameras with more safety and is concerned about other possible infringements on personal privacy as they proliferate. Golden isn’t new to this issue. Back in August, he talked with us about license-plate readers , which he said had the technical capability of allowing authorities to track every driver in Boulder and beyond . So it’s no surprise he looked at the CommunityCam concept with a critical eye. Here’s a CommunityCam screen capture of Colorado from our original post. community.cam.denver.1.jpg Next, take a closer look at Denver metro, with designations for the number of cameras in assorted suburbs, plus Boulder and the city itself: community.cam.denver.2.jpg Finally, here’s a zoom-in of downtown Denver, with icons marking the locations for dozens of cameras, many just steps away from each other: community.cam.denver.3.jpg In the view of CommunityCam’s Josh Daniels, maps like these provide locals with “primarily social benefits — things like being able to plan safer, monitored routes for jogging, biking and walking. Obviously, Denver has a very active outdoor population of people, and this allows […]
Source blogs.westword.com
Department Of Commerce Mulls Privacy Protections For Commercial Use Of Facial Recognition Technology
Published on 10 Dec, 2013 COMPRO Technology Inc., a leading provider of innovative video surveillance solutions, recently launched the HD Pan-Tilt-Zoom cloud network camera TN920W to the market. TN920W offers 2MP HD high quality video imaging, up to 1600×1200 resolutions. It also features 10x digital zoom, 340° pan and 100° tilt and adopting Japan design motor with fast and precise performance. In addition, TN920W supports latest cloud technology and super easy QR code installation. It is an ideal choice for homes, offices, warehouses, restaurants and hotel lobbies. TN920W not only offers unsurpassed image quality but also wide-coverage monitoring. The megapixel resolution and 75° diagonal view angle allow TN920W to capture video from a wide area, effectively reducing the number of cameras required. On top of that, TN920W features a unique design of professional-grade Mechanical IR Cut and IR LEDs for 24/7 surveillance under any kind of lighting condition. When it comes to low-light conditions, the 12 built-in IR LEDs will be switched to additional infrared light that can capture clear images even in complete darkness. As with all TN product series, TN920W is comes with free C4Home cloud app featuring 2-way audio communication, pan/tilt control on mobile phone, preset points setup, Dropbox cloud storage, motion/audio detection, audio alarm and push notification with snapshot, and share video to others. Meanwhile, with the latest version app, you can enjoy new functions as: PTZ and two-way audio controls are now possible for shared accounts Configurable sharing options for the camera owner Support […]
Source www.sourcesecurity.com
Microsoft And Google Lead Coalition Demanding Limits On Government Surveillance
Edmond El Dabe Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 11, 2013 Leading California based law firm, El Dabe, is now offering extended legal services on its redesigned website. The improved website is inclusive of several new features like detailed informative blog posts, contact details as well as information on multiple legal practices offered by the firm. El Dabe Law Firm has become an established firm in multiple parts of California and is continually assisting clients in getting favorable results. Over the years, the firm has recovered millions of dollars in client settlements and is considered among the highest rated law firms in the state. El Dabe Law Firm is now offering its expert legal counsel in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks and Huntington Beach in various practice areas including personal injury, negligence, product liability, vehicle accidents. The firm is also offering legal assistance for clients seeking help with cases of elevator injuries, escalator accidents, chemical burns and funeral home negligence. In the past decade, the firm has been successful in closing settlements favorably for cases involving vehicle accidents, slips and falls, wrongful death, dog bites, burn injuries and defective products. A new highlight of the redesigned website is the detailed blog on Injury Law Central that covers essential details on the latest lawsuits and personal injury cases in the state of California. The website’s personal blog offers informative and detailed articles on understanding personal injury laws in the state and using the right legal counsel to get favorable settlements. The topics […]
Source www.prweb.com
Michigan Bill Would Mandate Night Safety Measures Including Security Cameras
Jessia Heeringa was abducted from the gas station where she worked on April 26, 2013. There were no surveillance cameras. (file photos) LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) – It has been more than seven months since Jessica Heeringa was abducted from her job, and now a Michigan representative is making a push to prevent similar incidents. Monday, Rep. Collene Lamonte (D-Montague) will introduce a bill to require gas stations that stay open past 11 p.m. to either have two employees working or install security cameras. Surveillance video is one key thing missing from the night of April 26 when Heeringa, a 25-year-old mother, disappeared from the Sternberg Road Exxon Mobil gas station in Norton Shores near the end of her shift. There were no surveillance cameras at the gas station. The case prompted Rep. Lamonte to start drafting on the bill. “This tragic event did highlight an issue that I think needs to be addressed and I want to make sure that our late-night employees are protected,” Lamonte told 24 Hour News 8 in May. Lamonte will join 24 Hour News 8 live Monday morning on Daybreak to discuss the bill. In July, Heeringa’s 26th birthday passed and she remained missing. Norton Shores detectives continue to investigate Heeringa’s case, but said six months after the abduction that solid tips have become few and far between. The reward for information leading to Heeringa stands at more than $15,000. Anyone with information about Heeringa’s disappearance or who saw anything out of the ordinary […]
Source www.woodtv.com
Mechanicsville VA Bathroom Surveillance Cameras Under Investigation
MECHANICSVILLE, VA (WWBT) – Controversy is getting served up at Mechanicsville’s Calabash Seafood Restaurant & Midway Lounge. Owner Dennis Smith installed security cameras in the men’s bathrooms, back in September. Smith says he’s paid heavy costs for repairs after repeated bathroom vandalism. He maintains no privacy laws are being violated, since no guest’s private areas are being recorded. However, the Hanover Sheriff’s Office is now investigating the camera situation. Officers executed a search warrant. The cameras were shut off. Smith says investigators are reviewing the footage. Customer Victor Little says he was shocked to spot the cameras, while having dinner at the restaurant Saturday evening. He took cell phone video of the surveillance camera, situated on the ceiling above a stall. “I was startled… I couldn’t believe there was a camera in the men’s room,” said Little. Smith says the bathrooms have been a target of damage, during the span of the restaurant’s 34 years. Smith describes an incident in August that totaled $1,000. “I had a customer go in the men’s room and tear a urinal completely off the wall, with tile…(then the man) broke a toilet,” recounted Smith of the damage. However, the cameras have caused other problems. One man was charged for ripping out one of the cameras, back in September. He says he believed his privacy rights were being violated. The incident also prompted the Hanover Sheriff’s investigation into whether any privacy laws are being broken. NBC12 legal analyst Steve Benjamin says security cameras are […]
Source www.nbc12.com
EFF Amicus Brief: Video Surveillance Of A Home For A Month Without A Warrant Violates Fourth Amendment
Profile image (Before It’s News) Just because a jogger can see the outside of your home on a public street doesn’t mean you’ve surrendered all your privacy expectations in the home. However, that seemingly obvious concept is being put to the test in a federal criminal case in Washington state, which involves the constitutionality of using a camera mounted on a pole outside a house to allow the police to watch the home for almost a month. Senior District Court Judge Edward Shea invited EFF to submit an amicus brief in the case and Monday we filed our brief , arguing prolonged warrantless video surveillance violates the Fourth Amendment . In United States v. Vargas , local police in Franklin County, Washington suspected Leonel Vargas of drug trafficking and in April 2013, installed a pole camera on a public road overlooking Vargas’ rural home . They did not get a search warrant to install or use the camera, which was pointed squarely at the front door and driveway of the home. Officers had the ability to pan the camera around and zoom in and out all from the comfort of the police station. They watched the outside of Vargas’ home for more than a month, taking notice of who visited him and what cars they were driving. They observed no criminal activity until a month after they began snooping, when officers saw him shooting a gun at beer bottles in what appeared to be target practice. Because the officer had […]
Source beforeitsnews.com
Prison Beatings Lawsuit Will Move Forward
Banner Written by Blake Hodge Friday, 15 November 2013 13:10 RALEIGH –A federal judge wants to hear more about allegations inmates were severely beaten by guards at North Carolina’s Central Prison. Eight inmates filed suit alleging guards at the prison would take the handcuffed prisoners out of sight of security cameras and beat them. Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle ordered that the case will go forward, after the state had asked the case be dismissed. Lawyers for North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services will now have access to state records and be allowed to conduct interviews with prison staff in preparation for the upcoming trial. One lawyer, Elizabeth Simpson, says, “What he said, is that we have presented enough that we should be able to get discovery and we should be able to have a chance to prove our case. What the state wanted to do was to shut it down. And Judge Boyle said no, let’s go forward, let’s find out what happened.” The lawsuit alleges officers beat inmates,resulting in inmate injuries that include broken bones, concussions, and a shattered hip. Last Updated on Friday, 15 November 2013 13:17 Banner Banner
Source www.ncnn.com
U.S. and Worldwide Video Surveillance Statutes
Prevailing perceptions exists that there are vast U.S. federal and state laws and statutes covering the use of video surveillance equipment and the recordings those systems create. In reality, there […]
Proving Your Slip And Fall Injury
Slip and fall accidents occur every day. Often, these mishaps result in serious back, neck or knee injuries that severely impact the daily lives of people who experience them. Florida is an extremely tough state when it comes to proving fault in slip and fall cases. In order to do so, there must be proof that a shopkeeper was aware of the dangerous conditions that caused the accident. First stated in Owens v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc. , and later codified in Florida Statute § 768.0755, Florida requires the injured plaintiff to prove that a foreign transitory substance (i.e., a liquid, banana peel, etc.) was on the floor for a length of time sufficient enough for the shopkeeper to become aware of the condition. What does this mean in terms of a real slip and fall case? What this statute does is effectively shift the burden to the plaintiff to somehow prove how long the substance was on the floor. But, how does one prove this? One way is for the injured party to be able to testify that the substance looked dirty, had shopping cart tracks through it, or that the banana peel was brown. There is actually a case where the court went into great detail using the fact that the banana peel that caused the accident was brown as evidence for their case. The banana peel, they alleged, had to have been on the floor for a sufficient amount of time because it was brown. Had it […]
Source injurylaw.labovick.com
Vivotek And ImmerVision Sign New Agreement On Using Panomorph Optics: Settle Lawsuit
MONTREAL – Wednesday, November 6th 2013 [ME NewsWire] (BUSINESS WIRE)– ImmerVision, the inventor of the 360-degree panomorph lens and worldwide expert in immersive optical technology, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Vivotek, a Taiwanese camera manufacturer, to officially settle a recent legal dispute. This signed agreement confirms that Vivotek will adopt the Immervision Enables 360-degree video standard in the development of future 360-degree video products. These new panomorph cameras from Vivotek will be duly certified ImmerVision Enables so customers will benefit from the standard’s leading performance which provides undistorted, blind-spot-free views, heighten situational awareness and the ability to simply pair cameras with a growing list of compatible and certified video management systems. “We understand that ImmerVision Enables panomorph lenses offer superior 360-degree technology compared to other options like fisheye, and so we are pleased to leverage ImmerVision’s leading standard to develop new cutting-edge 360-degree devices,” said Steve Ma, Executive Vice President at Vivotek. “We are very happy to have signed an agreement with Vivotek. The company shows tremendous respect for an organization’s intellectual property,” said Alessandro Gasparini, CCO at ImmerVision. “We look forward to a promising collaboration on more panomorph opportunities.” About ImmerVision Leading innovation in 360-degree panoramic imaging, ImmerVision licenses its patented panomorph optical and software technology to global lens producers, product manufacturers and software developers. Panomorph lenses are the only ones that can be adapted to any camera, any sensor, and any consumer, commercial and government market. ImmerVision Enables is the recognized standard for […]
Source menewswire.blogspot.com
What Happens In Vegas Does NOT Always Stay In Vegas With New Recording Street Lights
Wireless street lights can play music, video, interact with pedestrians and have ‘Homeland Security’ applications like video surveillance monitors Las Vegas r esidents worry that the lights are an invasion of privacy – ‘Who’s protecting our rights? Some cities in the UK and Holland have street lights that reprimand pedestrians for minor offenses like littering By Mail Online Reporter PUBLISHED: 12:31 EST, 10 November 2013 | UPDATED: 13:34 EST, 10 November 2013 Las Vegas is currently installing Intellistreet lights to their well-lit city. But Intellistreets are not just any street-lighting system. The wireless, LED lighting, computer-operated lights are not only capable of illuminating streets, they can also play music, interact with pedestrians and are equipped with video screens, which can display police alerts, weather alerts and traffic information. The high tech lights can also stream live video of activity in the surrounding area. But there’s one major concern.These new street lights, being rolled out with the aid of government funding, are also capable of recording video and audio. Neil Rohleder with the Public Works Department told NBC News 3 in Las Vegas that the main reason for installing the new lighting system is not to record anyone or anything. ‘We want to develop more than just the street lighting component,’ Rohleder said . ‘We want to develop an experience for the people who come downtown.’ But some residents worry that the lights, which are currently being tested in and around Las Vegas City Hall, are an invasion of privacy. […]
Source js.dailymail.co.uk
Digital Ally Files Suit To Halt Threats Of Alleged Patent Infringement By Utility Associates
LENEXA, KS, Oct 28, 2013 (Marketwired via COMTEX) — Digital Ally, Inc. /quotes/zigman/11592504 /quotes/nls/dgly DGLY +6.71% , which develops, manufactures and markets advanced video surveillance products for law enforcement, homeland security and commercial applications, today announced that it has filed a lawsuit to eliminate threats by Utility Associates, Inc. (“Utility”) of alleged patent infringement regarding U.S. Patent No. 6,831,556 (the ‘556 patent). Utility has recently mailed letters to current and prospective purchasers of Digital Ally’s mobile video surveillance systems threatening that the use of such systems purchased from third parties not licensed to the ‘556 patent would create liability for patent infringement. Digital Ally rejects Utility’s assertion and will vigorously defend the right of end-users to purchase such systems from providers other than Utility. On October 25, 2013, Digital Ally filed a Complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, seeking a declaration that Digital Ally’s advanced mobile video surveillance systems do not infringe any claim of the ‘556 patent. In addition, Digital Ally will be taking steps to invalidate the ‘556 patent through appropriate procedures at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. “Digital Ally welcomes fair competition in the marketplace and will vigorously defend its right to compete, as well as the right of current and prospective customers to purchase its products, without facing threats of alleged patent infringement,” stated a Digital Ally spokesperson. “Digital Ally believes that these rights will be vindicated in the aforementioned proceedings.” About Digital Ally, Inc. Digital Ally, […]
Source www.marketwatch.com
Cambridge MA Blocks Surveillance Cameras
How one Mass city watches the watchers, and how others should follow suit On February 2, 2009, the Cambridge City Council voted in unanimous opposition to the installation of eight Department of Homeland Security cameras at major intersections on the basis that “the potential threats to invasion of privacy and individual civil liberties outweigh the current benefits” of accepting the DHS funds. While six such cameras were installed all the same, the council and a vocal citizenry has since successfully opposed their activation. At a follow-up meeting earlier this month, all nine Cambridge councilors reaffirmed their position: the cameras must remain off until police prove beyond doubt that their department has the capacity to balance investigative methods with civil liberties. Such aggressive civilian oversight of law enforcement should serve as a model not only for the Boston region, but for the whole country. Since 9-11, police chiefs, sheriffs, and commissioners have had an open invitation to request any range of surveillance and tactical gear from federal coffers, often without accountability checks to ensure that deployment squares with the Bill of Rights. Between DHS, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Defense, local overseers can secure every conceivable toy that they could ever covet without spending a dime of their own. From drones, to armored vehicles, to Long Range Acoustic Devices, which are essentially giant human dog whistles, it’s a veritable buffet via federal grants. Since these checks are written by the feds, such arrangements are often executed without […]
Source digboston.com
Biometric Exit Improvement Act: Wrong Solution To Broken Visa And Immigration System
Email Print PDF Several Members of Congress recently released the Biometric Exit Improvement Act in an effort to enhance the U.S.’s security and immigration system. However, the law triples down on a costly policy that adds little real security. Instead of feel-good but ineffective strategies, Congress should reconsider the biometric exit requirement and push the Administration to faithfully execute the U.S.’s existing immigration laws. Biometric Exit Has Consistently Not Been Implemented The requirement for an integrated entry-exit system has been in place since the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. In the following years, several other bills were passed that called for an entry-exit system, with increasing requirements for biometric technology, leading to the creation in 2003 of US-VISIT, a program focused on developing a biometric entry-exit system. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 explicitly required and called for the acceleration of US-VISIT’s efforts to create an automated biometric entry and exit data system. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made progress on the entry portion of US-VISIT, the exit system largely went nowhere. Congress repeated its demand for a biometric exit system in 2007, setting a deadline of 2009. That deadline came and went with only two small pilot programs. Since then, DHS has continued its slow move to meet this requirement in what the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has called “a long-standing challenge for DHS.” [1] The Biometric Exit Improvement Act would be at least the third law to call […]
Source www.heritage.org
Stop, Frisk, and Record
From New York City to Rialto, CA: Police Body Cameras Issues include whether a mandatory worn-video appliance would compromise police duties and effectiveness; would politicize basic law enforcement; would provide […]
Texas Passes Tough Laws Regulating UAV Use
The state of Texas has made it a crime to take photographs of someone’s property without their consent using a UAV. That new law went into effect September 1, 2013. […]
State Denies Public Access To Another Iowa Juvenile Home Security Video
The Iowa Department of Human Services is refusing to release another security camera video that allegedly shows a youth being mistreated at the state-run Iowa Juvenile Home. During the past […]
IACP Sets Policy Standards For ALPR/ANPR
s reported by NDI Recognition Systems, an IACP report on license plate recognition offers agencies information to help set policies and operational standards. Automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology has […]
Police State USA
For the first time ever, Congress has decided has crafted a piece of legislation that determines whether or not a person is a journalist, in a bill designed to give federal protection to journalists and bloggers from being forced to disclose the identities of their confidential sources. This would mean that before the government could ask a news organization or a journalist to identify their sources, it must first go to a federal judge, who would supervise any subpoenas or court orders for the information. But the legislation comes with a catch. In order for a person to be protected under the bill, one must first meet the criteria for being termed a “journalist” — and even then, journalists will not be protected in all situations. Though freedom of speech, which includes the printed word, is protected under the First Amendment, media shield laws are supposed to go above and beyond in terms of protecting a journalist from being forced to disclose confidential information and sources. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill, the Free Flow of Information Act of 2013 , on Thursday in a 13-5 vote . Though most states have their own media shield laws, they vary in terms of protections for reporters. If the legislation passes, this would be the first federal media shield law. At the urging of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the committee defined what they considered “journalism” as well as who qualified to be labeled as a “journalist.” Feinstein said legal protection […]
ACLU Push Will Put Privacy In Public Eye
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