Tell the D.C. Council: D.C. Residents Demand Oversight of Government Use of Surveillance Technology

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Tell the D.C. Council: D.C. Residents Demand Oversight of Government Use of Surveillance Technology

D.C. Councilmembers

Across the District, D.C. police and other District agencies are acquiring and using powerful surveillance technologies without any oversight from the D.C. Council or broader community.

This unchecked use of surveillance technologies--such as automatic license plate readers, cell-site simulators, predictive policing software, and CCTV cameras--creates an oppressive environment in which community members are criminalized and monitored. Communities of color, immigrants, low-income communities, and religious and activist groups face the greatest threats to their civil rights and civil liberties.

Moreover, much of this technology can be dangerously inaccurate, such as facial recognition software, which has led to false arrests, especially among people of color.

As residents of the District of Columbia, we believe that the public must have a direct say in the surveillance technologies that the D.C. government acquires, how such technologies are deployed or if these tools should be used at all.

We call on the D.C. Council to hold a hearing and pass legislation to require robust public input and D.C. Council approval of District government use of surveillance technologies. The D.C. Council and public must have a meaningful way to engage with decisions about proper use of modern surveillance technology in D.C.

Sponsored by

Community Oversight of Surveillance - D.C.

To: D.C. Councilmembers
From: [Your Name]

As a resident of the District of Columbia, I am concerned about the unchecked use of surveillance technologies here in the District. D.C. already has in its arsenal cell-site simulators that trick cell phones into transmitting users’ location and data; automatic license plate readers that can effectively track residents’ movements throughout the District in real time; and body-worn cameras on police. In addition, D.C. police possess predictive policing software and facial recognition technology: both tools are highly susceptible to inaccuracy and bias against people of color.

Before the District acquires even more surveillance tools to use against unsuspecting D.C. residents, the Council and public must have direct input into how surveillance technologies are acquired and deployed in the District, or if these tools should be used at all.

I call on the D.C. Council to hold a hearing and pass legislation to require robust public input and D.C. Council approval of the D.C. government’s use of surveillance technologies.