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<title>Surveillance Testimony - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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<h2>Surveillance Testimony</h2>

<p><em>Richard

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<p>Richard Stallman's statement to the Cambridge City Council, Jan 22, 2018,
about the proposed Cambridge surveillance ordinance.</em></p> ordinance.</p>
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<hr class="thin" />

<p><strong>Mayor McGovern:</strong> Thank you. Richard Stallman followed by Elaine DeRosa.</p>

<p><strong>RMS:</strong> I'm here to speak about the proposed surveillance ordinance.
I've got a copy of what I printed out, and I have some suggestions.</p>

<p>First of all there's a Definition of “surveillance” which I think is
too narrow. In addition to “movements, behavior and actions,” it
should include communications.</p>

<p>Furthermore, instead of just saying “in a matter that is reasonably
likely to raise concerns,” any recording of what is observed should be
assumed to raise civil liberties concerns.</p>

<p>There's also a definition of “surveillance technology”, technology,” which I think is
far too limited.</p>

<p>I suggest that any physical device or system including computers running
software that has surveillance capability is surveillance technology.
Any technology that can do surveillance is surveillance technology.</p>

<p>The definition of “surveillance capability” I think is pretty good.</p>

<p>In addition, when it comes to what to do about surveillance
technology, the Emergency Permission seems far too loose. It would be
easy to interpret this such that one could decide there's nowadays
some sort of threat, and there always will be [that threat], so
surveillance is permitted on an emergency basis forever.</p>

<p>Well, that's the kind of false emergency that we shouldn't accept.
This requirement should be specific and clear enough that that can't
pass under it.</p>

<p>I suggest treating it like a wiretap or searching people's houses.</p>

<p>Now there are times when it's possible to search someone's house
urgently. That's permitted. But in general you have to get a court
order [to do a search].</p>

<p>And I think that same requirement should apply to any kind of surveillance
that hasn't gone through the regular process.</p>

<p>[Item] number 9 talks about “persons injured in violation of the Ordinance”, Ordinance,”
but I don't think there's a definition of what it means to be injured.</p>

<p>I'd like to suggest that to be surveilled is to be injured.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>
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<p>Copyright © 2018 2018, 2021 Richard Stallman</p>

<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative
Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>

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<p class="unprintable">Updated:
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$Date: 2021/11/30 11:07:01 $
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</p>
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