Technology

Surveillance technology is constantly evolving. Keep up with what government agencies are acquiring and using to conduct surveillance. Click on the icons to explore how various surveillance technologies work, how they are being used, and how they could impact individual civil liberties.

Social Media Monitoring

Social media monitoring systems (SMMS) enable police to track an individual’s activities on sites like Facebook and...[LEARN MORE]

ALPR

Automatic license plate readers capture images of passing license plates, then log those plate “reads” into a police...[LEARN MORE]

Transit Mics

Public transportation agencies across the United States have quietly installed advanced audio recording systems on...[LEARN MORE]

Body Camera

Police body cameras record an officer’s activities and interactions. The technology has great potential as a police...[LEARN MORE]

RFID

Radio frequency identification tags emit a radio signal that contains the information stored on the chip. When used...[LEARN MORE]

Cellebrite

Universal Forensic Extraction Devices are small, portable computers that extract the entire contents of a cellphone...[LEARN MORE]

Infrared

The government integrates thermal (or ”infrared”) imaging into surveillance cameras in order to monitor individuals in...[LEARN MORE]

Drones

Law enforcement agencies have embraced unmanned aerial vehicles, often called “drones,” as powerful surveillance and...[LEARN MORE]

Stingray

“Stingrays” can track the location of wireless phones, tablets, and computers that utilize cell phone networks. Some...[LEARN MORE]

Fingerprint Scanners

Mobile fingerprint scanners help police check the identities of criminal suspects. However, government fingerprint...[LEARN MORE]

Gunshot Detector

Gunshot detectors recognize the sound of gunfire and pinpoint its location. A community experiencing a wave of violence...[LEARN MORE]

Facial Recognition

Facial recognition software analyzes images of human faces to identify them based on unique individual features...[LEARN MORE]

GPS

GPS trackers enable the government to record your movements extensively. Using this information, officials can build a...[LEARN MORE]

Malware

Malicious software can be used to monitor use of personal computing devices. For example, keylogging tools record every...[LEARN MORE]

Mesh Networks

Many cities have considered building wireless mesh networks to connect broad geographic areas to the internet. These...[LEARN MORE]

Packet Sniffing

Deep packet inspection allows an internet service provider or government agency to access all the unencrypted data that...[LEARN MORE]

Cameras

The use of camera surveillance systems to constantly monitor public places hinders our ability to remain anonymous in...[LEARN MORE]