"Dozens of cities around the country are using BriefCam, which sells software that allows police to comb through surveillance footage to monitor protests and enforce social distancing, and almost all of these cities have hosted protests against police brutality in the weeks since George Floyd was killed in police custody, BuzzFeed News has found.
Some of the cities using BriefCam’s technology — such as New Orleans and St. Paul — have been the site of extreme police violence, with officers using rubber bullets, tear gas, and batons on protesters. Authorities in Chicago; Boston; Detroit; Denver; Doral, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut; and Santa Fe County, New Mexico have also used it.
[...]
BriefCam shows the line between contact tracing, policing, and surveillance can be thin — as cities can spend tens of thousands of dollars for powerful technology, with few restrictions on how police can use it."
Some of the cities using BriefCam’s technology — such as New Orleans and St. Paul — have been the site of extreme police violence, with officers using rubber bullets, tear gas, and batons on protesters. Authorities in Chicago; Boston; Detroit; Denver; Doral, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut; and Santa Fe County, New Mexico have also used it.
[...]
BriefCam shows the line between contact tracing, policing, and surveillance can be thin — as cities can spend tens of thousands of dollars for powerful technology, with few restrictions on how police can use it."