The Seattle City Council approved legislation on July 31 promising increased transparency when city departments consider new surveillance technology or software.
Prior to the new Surveillance Technology Acquisition ordinance, the City Council had to sign off on new surveillance hardware. The law would change that to include approval for software and hosted software services, and a community outreach process to ensure that the public is informed.
The legislation comes almost a year after The Stranger reported that the Seattle Police Department purchased a tool to track social media posts without first going to the City Council.
Ashley Archibald is a Staff Reporter covering local government, policy and equity. Have a story idea? She can be can reached at ashleya (at) realchangenews (dot) org. Twitter @AshleyA_RC
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