Speech and Privacy

Atlanta is the most-surveilled city in the U.S. and one of the most surveilled cities in the world. These surveillance technologies collect vast amounts of information about where we go, who we see, and what we do. Once collected, surveillance data often spreads far beyond its original purpose. Without strong safeguards, it can be quietly shared with federal agencies or other jurisdictions without public knowledge or consent and misused to target protestors, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, or people seeking reproductive care.

The ACLU of Georgia is advocating for a “Community Control Over Police Surveillance” (CCOPS) ordinance in Atlanta, which would give residents and local elected officials a say in whether, and how, surveillance tech is used in their communities. These ordinances have already been adopted in 26 cities across the country, where they serve to protect and empower nearly 18 million people.

Protect Our Privacy: Community Control Over Police Surveillance in Atlanta calls for increased transparency, oversight, and accountability around law enforcement’s purchase and use of surveillance technologies.

SOURCES:
Chad Marlow, Let There Be Light: Cities Across America Are Pushing Back Against Secret Surveillance by Police, 2016, www.aclu.org
Jurgita Lapienyte, This is the Most Heavily Surveilled City in the US: 50 CCTV Cameras per 1,000 Citizens, 2021, www.cybernews.com
Security Cameras Make Us Feel Safe, but Are They Worth the Invasion? 2022, www.nytimes.com
Too Much Surveillance makes us Less Free. It also Makes us Less Safe, 2017, www.WashingtonPost.com