KQED and The Center for Investigative Reporting partner on a new multiplatform presentation including a 30-minute television special, a radio report and online articles.
What happens when police track the movements of an entire city in real time?
The series looks at some of the new technologies police departments in California are using and the privacy concerns they raise. California is one of ten states that guarantee a right to privacy and the new tools pose a significant challenge: Where to draw the line between safer streets and spying? The tools range from wide area surveillance to facial recognition technology, and they greatly expand the data that officers have at their fingertips. Some systems are already in use in Los Angeles and were hotly debated in Oakland before being delayed, for now. Law enforcement agencies say the new technologies make it easier to solve -- and even prevent -- crime. But privacy advocates worry that these systems could become dragnets, filled with information about law-abiding citizens.
The 30-minute television special examines cutting-edge crime-fighting technologies that also raise concerns about privacy and the presumption of innocence.
Further Reporting:
• Hollywood-Style Surveillance Technology Inches Closer to Reality
• As Policing Technology in California Advances, So Do Privacy Concerns
• More Surveillance Stories