Discusses Traffic Cameras
To The Editor:
There’s been a lot of discussion recently about automated cameras being installed in Newtown (for traffic enforcement), and I’d like to address an important aspect that I haven’t heard discussed yet: privacy.
While I fully support enforcing speed limits in our town, I am not in favor of giving third-party camera vendors unfiltered access to our data. These cameras collect an incredible amount of sensitive information: pictures of vehicle occupants, license plate numbers, timestamps, and location history.
That information can be used to profile individuals, create a record of where we travel, and more. A quick search on the topic reveals rampant security vulnerabilities with these vendors and instances of people in positions of power abusing their access. In fact, several large municipalities in the US have declined to renew contracts after discovering massive privacy breaches.
Are we in Newtown okay with this level of data collection? Who is the vendor supplying these cameras? And what security policies will be implemented to prevent data misuse within our Police Department?
Tyler Durkin
Sandy Hook
Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better…
Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become.
Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement.
If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded:
What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used?
Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too?
How long will data be stored, and who can access it?
What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information?
Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to…