Montreal police have been expanding their array of AI-driven tools to monitor vehicles and individuals throughout the city discreetly, sparking concerns about transparency and privacy rights.
A powerful camera capable of scanning and recognizing vehicles was recently sighted by a Radio-Canada journalist on a lamppost along Henri-Bourassa Boulevard in Montreal’s Rivière-des-Prairies area. The camera, identified as a Cloudrunner CR-H2 manufactured by Genetec, was swiftly removed after Radio-Canada covered its presence.
Unlike the contentious Flock Safety cameras used widely in the United States, the Genetec system not only reads license plates but also records specific vehicle details such as color, make, and model, as detailed on the company’s website.
SPVM spokesman Marc-Antoine Bélanger informed CBC News that access to the captured images is restricted to investigators handling the relevant cases. The SPVM stated that the camera was taken down to safeguard their ongoing investigative strategies.
Privacy advocates have raised concerns about the lack of transparency in implementing new technologies, emphasizing that the public should be informed about the tools being utilized by law enforcement agencies without compromising operational effectiveness.
The Cloudrunner cameras are part of the SPVM’s broader adoption of AI-driven technology. The SPVM acknowledged using iMotion ROC AI software by Rank One Computing to assist investigators in sorting through vast amounts of video footage. However, the police force denied employing the software’s facial recognition or biometric features.
An internal privacy impact assessment by the SPVM recognized the civil liberties risks associated with the technology, such as potentially subjecting innocent bystanders to investigation and the risk of discrimination based on visible social characteristics.
After a period of initial confusion, Montreal Police Chief Fady Dagher clarified that the device belonged to the SPVM and was being used to combat armed violence and vehicle theft. Notably, the chief’s initial unawareness of the technology’s usage raised questions about oversight and protocol within the police department.
While the SPVM has confirmed using one Cloudrunner camera, there is a possibility of adding more cameras based on the investigative requirements related to armed violence, vehicle theft, and crimes against merchants.
Genetec’s vice president, Andrew Elvish, assured that the technology prioritizes privacy and logs every interaction with the collected data. He emphasized the balance between privacy and community safety in deploying such technologies.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada had previously advocated for a “voluntary” security camera registry during the election campaign to assist officers in mapping out residents’ home CCTV cameras’ locations.
The Commission d’accès à l’information in Quebec requires public bodies to justify video surveillance in public spaces with a legitimate and urgent objective, emphasizing the necessity of collecting images solely to address specific issues.
Legal expert Jean-François Latreille stressed the importance of stringent restrictions on the use of such surveillance tools to prevent individuals from relinquishing control over their privacy in public spaces.
