Flock Cameras and Corsight AI: Citizens Blast Surveillance Overreach Amid Questionable Crime Data
Edmonton deployed a facial recognition pilot using Corsight AI, an Israeli firm with documented use in Gaza, on bodycams trained on a watchlist of roughly 7,000 individuals. Furthermore, residents flagged specific privacy flaws in Edmonton's required watchdog assessment regarding sensitive data sharing.
Commenters are deeply divided. Some cite sharp, localized crime spikes, like LodeMike pointing to home invasions in Rosedale being double the city average, suggesting real danger. Others argue this statistical evidence is junk—FauxLiving dismisses the data as 'fear-porn' due to low sample size. NarrativeBear warns that third-party systems like Flock cameras risk capturing conversations and lack transparency. Meanwhile, NarrativeBear also questioned the historical data handling of Toronto's speed camera operation by Verra Mobility.
The prevailing sentiment is deep suspicion. There is widespread skepticism regarding the utility and necessity of AI surveillance technology. The core battleground remains the balance between perceived local crime spikes and the proven, alarming risks posed by third-party data ownership and questionable technology provenance.
Key Points
Flock cameras present unacceptable privacy risks due to third-party control.
NarrativeBear specifically called out the risks beyond simple monitoring, including conversation capture and ownership issues.
Crime statistics presented to justify surveillance are unreliable and possibly manipulated.
FauxLiving argued the data could be 'fear-porn' because the sample sizes appear too small to prove necessity.
The technology has questionable origins and history.
The use of Corsight AI, which has reported ties to mass surveillance in Gaza, was flagged as a major red flag.
Localized crime increases are cited as evidence for heightened security measures.
LodeMike pointed to Rosedale having home invasions double the city average, framing it as immediate danger.
Third-party data processing lacks sufficient transparency.
NarrativeBear pointed out that the Arizona-based Verra Mobility owned the historical Toronto speed cameras, raising data concerns.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.