In a recent U.S. Senate candidate debate in Missoula, Democrat Alani Bankhead suggested independent opponent Seth Bodnar was a hypocrite for posting a campaign video of himself shooting a Flock-style camera.
“Of course, right here, the University of Montana, we’ve got those Verkada cameras that are AI-driven that were actually installed by Seth Bodner while he was president of the university,” Bankhead said.
Her statement didn’t show the entire picture.
Verkada offers “security solutions” that make it easy for campuses to instantly share video feeds with law enforcement or track a person or vehicle. The company describes itself as “a global leader in physical security.”
UM has plenty of security cameras, including Verkada models, and Montana State University has even more cameras. But spokespeople for both of the flagship universities said neither one uses facial recognition software or artificial intelligence capabilities.
“Seth is correct that we don’t utilize facial recognition or share data via our cameras,” said UM spokesperson Dave Kuntz in an email.
Those cameras have become controversial in recent years, especially automated license plate readers, which collect data often unbeknownst to the public and can be used to track people’s movements.
In a campaign to fight the “creepy” cameras, the American Civil Liberties Union said companies such as Flock Safety are trying to build a nationwide mass surveillance system.
A group called DeFlock, with a mission to raise awareness of the prevalence of the cameras, said the growing use of the technology poses threats to personal privacy and civil liberties.
AI debate sparks question about UM
The issue arose in the debate in Missoula last month. A moderator asked a question about whether the candidates would support an international treaty that requires companies in the U.S. and China to ensure AI is under human control before further development.
Bankhead said the country needs to deal with its own AI problem first, especially to protect children. She criticized Flock-style cameras and said she’s dealt with the issue as an expert in cyber crimes against children.
“I’ve been fighting with big tech for about 15 years at the national level in terms of ensuring that big tech has guardrails to protect our children,” Bankhead said. “And actually, what’s been happening is our congressmen are paid off by these tech lobbyists, and so our kids continue (to) not (be) protected.”
She then lobbed her accusation that Bodnar had them installed at UM.
Republican Kurt Alme and Libertarian Kyle Austin also are running for the U.S. Senate but were not at the debate.
Bodnar, who led UM for eight years, said it’s important to keep students safe “while not allowing a surveillance state to pervade everything in this country.”
But he said campus security cameras matter, and “we need to have mature conversations” around safety.
“Everybody here wants to have a safe campus where police can monitor those,” Bodnar said. “To be very clear, these were not empowered with facial recognition technology. They weren’t storing data. They weren’t sharing data.”
He also said he agreed with Bankhead’s position that safeguards are needed in this country when it comes to AI.
Campuses up camera security, avoid AI
UM has about 300 security cameras, and spokesperson Kuntz said they have provided support for finding missing people, investigating accidents, and managing large events in the Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
“Almost all cameras that an entity of our size would purchase today have AI capabilities,” Kuntz said. But he said they are customizable, and UM doesn’t use the features.
For one thing, he said, it falls under the prohibition of state law. He said that means UM doesn’t capture biomedical data or use facial recognition.
He said UM can use the cameras to coordinate responses in emergencies and has the ability to monitor video feeds in its 24-hour emergency dispatch center.
But Kuntz said AI won’t increase responsiveness, and UM has reservations about AI capabilities in cameras as well.
“So even if the laws change, we won’t change how we use them,” Kuntz said.
At MSU, spokesperson Mike Becker said the Bozeman campus has 479 cameras, and another 61 will come online soon.
“The video management system comes from the company Milestone and does not use facial recognition technology or artificial intelligence,” Becker said in an email.
He said MSU doesn’t actively monitor the cameras, “apart from during special events that involve safety and security operations.”
The Montana University System does not track the use of cameras across its 16 campuses, and a spokesperson said the system does not have a policy governing the use of AI technologies in security cameras.
Click Here For The Original Source
——————————————————–
