The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Center for Just Journalism, and the Institute for Professional Video Management have released a new report that helps journalists understand police surveillance technology. The report, titled Selling Safety, explains how to understand the real costs, benefits, and privacy risks of the tools, which are being introduced in communities across the United States, often without enough checks or proof that they actually work.
Police technology is often sold as a quick fix, a way to modernise departments, make communities safer, and remove human bias from policing. But behind the slick marketing, these tools are not always as effective as companies claim. The report warns that relying on these promises without asking questions can cost taxpayers money and put people’s privacy and civil liberties at risk.
The report gives journalists practical advice on how to look past marketing hype. It shows how to question vendor claims, understand the incentives behind the technology, and find stories that hold both police departments and technology companies accountable. By digging deeper, reporters can help communities see whether these tools truly make them safer, or just make a lot of money for private companies.
Experts warn that surveillance and other police technologies are spreading faster than public understanding or oversight. This makes the role of journalists even more important, as they can shine a light on how these tools are used in real communities and whether they respect privacy, civil liberties, and taxpayer money.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation also offers resources like the Street-Level Surveillance hub and the Atlas of Surveillance, which map the use of police technology across the United States. Together with the “Selling Safety” report, these tools aim to give journalists and the public a clearer picture of how surveillance tools are marketed and deployed, and whether they truly serve communities, or only line the pockets of private companies.
To read more about the report, visit this link: https://www.eff.org/document/selling-safety-journalists-guide-covering-police-technology.
