Dear Editor,
Using Placer.ai is un-American and opens the door to the violation of our civil rights and our rights under the Fourth Amendment. Democrat Senators have already expressed their alarm and objections over the company’s capabilities to surveil abortion clinics’ foot traffic. The company is also a threat to our national security. Please read the DNI report on Commercially Available Information and please get in touch with Speaker Kevin McCarthy to express your views.
This obvious invasion of privacy and targeting is not only a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution but also represents a terrifying precedent if allowed to go unaddressed: as it stands, the County of Santa Clara is effectively arguing that, as long as they call it research, any level of government can target and spy on any individual or group for any reason at any time for any duration, and, if they so choose, they can then wield the collected data against said individuals or group. This is not just un-American; it’s downright Orwellian.
Geofencing is a location-based tool used by the government to track individuals through their cell phone data. This tool is typically used in police investigations of criminal activity and requires the government to request a warrant – which is limited in time and scope.
Mike Sinnott
