Legal
House Passes Bill To Improve Airport Security In Wake Of LAX Shooting
In the wake of November’s deadly shooting at Los Angeles International Airport, the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill to tighten security at the nation’s airports. The measure, introduced by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), is named in honor of Gerardo Hernandez, the Transportation Security Administration screener who was shot to death Nov. 1 […]
Some Claim Boston Schools Go Too Far With Audio Surveillance Of School Buses
EDITORIAL – Matthew J. Lee, Bostom Globe staff – A new video camera system is installed above the drivers seat in a Boston school bus. Boston’s school department has offered no evidence that incidents of bullying or other misbehavior have increased to the point where both audio and video surveillance of students […]
On Photography, Cops Need To Get A Clue
We can’t expect privacy in public, but neither should police officers and public employees. Security cameras operated by the Department of Homeland Security are installed in front of a federal building in New York. (Photo: Mark Lennihan, AP) Last week, Buzzfeed reporter Benny Johnson went to work on a list of the seven ugliest federal […]
NYC Building Codes Now Accept Video Image Smoke Detection
The New York City Building Code requires the detection of smoke by means of smoke detection systems. New products have recently been introduced that use video camera and image recognition software to detect smoke. Current New York City Building Code regulations do not address such products. However, Local Law 141 of 2013, which will take […]
Is It Legal To Post Business Surveillance Video Online?
Is it legal to post business video-surveillance footage online? Many businesses employ video surveillance systems and the footage can often result in useful— or humorous— clips that somehow find their way onto YouTube, Facebook, or other websites. While it is likely legal for businesses to use security footage for the purpose of preventing theft, or […]
Hanover Restaurant Not Guilty For Security Cameras In Bathroom
The owner of Mechanicsville, Virginia’s Calabash Seafood Restaurant and Midway Lounge is off the hook after being charged for installing surveillance cameras in the men’s bathroom. A judge found the owner, Dennis Smith, not guilty of unlawful videotaping. Smith has long maintained that he installed the cameras to stop repeated vandalism in the restroom. Smith […]
Next Generation Of Public Surveillance Technology Already Here
CCTV is everywhere in Britain, but it isn’t as effective as we think. Smile, you’re on camera: the UK is one of the most closely-watched societies in the world. According to Cheshire police, last year there was one CCTV unit for every 11 people in the country and the average person was caught on CCTV […]
White Rock Pub Raises Eyebrows With Video Camera In Men?s Washroom
The security camera at the Sandpiper Pub is aimed at the sinks and hand-drying area of the men’s washroom. Bill Lawrence, co-owner of the pub and a White Rock councillor, says the camera housing is in plain view. The ceiling-mounted camera is not aimed at urinals or stalls. A camera in the men’s washroom at […]
Lawsuit Filed To Block Release Of SPU Shooting Surveillance Video
Lawyers representing Seattle Pacific University and as many as 30 students or others connected to the June 5 campus shooting filed a lawsuit asking the judge to block the release of surveillance video of the crime scene captured by the school’s security cameras. The unnamed parties are all either victims or witnesses of the shooting. […]
Lack Of Positive ID Delivers Not Guilty Verdict For Armed Robberies Suspect
Alexandra Gough-Hollahan, 18, was found not guilty for two attempted armed robberies that took place in St. John’s, Canada, in December 2013 due to a lack of positive identification. She was accused of using a knife while attempting to hold up an Esso service station in St. John’s and then a Marie’s Mini Mart in Paradise later […]
EFF And 31 Other Organizations Call For Privacy Assessment Of FBI’s Biometric Database
The FBI plans to roll out the face recognition component of its massive Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometrics database this summer – but the Bureau has six years of catching up to do in explaining to Americans exactly how it plans to collect, use, and protect this data. Today we called on Attorney General Eric […]
Top 4 Ways US Gov?t Acting Unconstitutional On 4th Amendment
Editorial By Peter Van Buren. The views expressed below are those of Mr. Peter Van Buren. Leave us your comments below. Here’s a bit of history from another America: the Bill of Rights was designed to protect the people from their government. If the First Amendment’s right to speak out publicly was the people’s wall […]
Supreme Court Says Police Cannot Search Cellphones
A visitor takes photos with his cellphone outside the Supreme Court in April, when the justices considered whether police may search cellphones during arrests. Cellphones and smartphones generally cannot be searched by police without a warrant during arrests, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday in a major clash between privacy and technology. Ruling on two […]
Civil Liberties Groups Reject IBIA Biometric ?Best Practices? Recommendations
The International Biometrics and Identification Association (IBIA) recently issued a “best practices” document listing numerous recommendations on how to best deploy biometric technology for commercial situations. The IBIA is participating in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) effort to develop a voluntary code of conduct that specifies how the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights […]
LPR Companies Going Too Far?
Editorial Opinion By John Chigos, Founder, Chairman & CEO at PlateSmart Technologies, Inc. Digital Recognition Network (DRN) of Texas and their partner company, Vigilant Solutions of California, have filed a new lawsuit in Arkansas District Court. The suit contends that Arkansas?s recently passed Anti-LPR law (Arkansas Automatic License Plate Reader System Act 1491) banning the […]
Years After Court Ruling On GPS Tracking, Muddy Landscape For Judges, Law Enforcement
A 2-year-old Supreme Court decision has caused more confusion than clarity on how police may track the whereabouts of criminal suspects, illustrating how hard it is for the slow-moving judicial system to keep up with the light speed of technology. Alito, wrote that technological change can alter the public’s expectation of privacy and that lawmakers […]
City Ordinance Plays Factor In Solving Crimes In San Juan, TX
Recent surveillance footage from a Sprint cell phone store revealed a robbery in San Juan, Texas. Thanks to that surveillance footage, investigators were able to locate the suspects involved. For two weeks, San Juan police were unable to locate the pair of cell phone robbers seen in security camera video. But now, the two suspects […]
U.S. House Of Reps Votes To Ban Purchase Of License-Plate Cameras
Moving to protect privacy amidst increased public fear about government surveillance, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to ban certain federal agencies from purchasing cameras that capture images of license plates. The measure passed, 254-172, as an amendment to the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development funding bill under consideration on the House floor. […]
Digital Ally Files Unfair Competition Lawsuit Against Utility Associates
Digital Ally, Inc. (NASDAQ: DGLY), the industry leader in law enforcement video technology, announced that it has filed an Unfair Competition lawsuit against Utility Associates, Inc. ("Utility") in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. Digital contends that Utility has defamed Digital and illegally interfered with Digital’s contracts, customer relationships, and business […]
Strength Of ObjectVideo Metadata Patent Confirmed By U.S. Patent Office
ObjectVideo received a USPTO Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate ("Certificate") for U.S. Patent Number 7,932,923 (the ‘923 Patent). Issuance of the Certificate signifies the end of the reexamination. Forty-one claims issued as a result of the reexamination proceeding. ObjectVideo previously sued several companies for patent infringement in the United States International Trade Commission and the U.S. […]