ACLU-VT releases report about surveillance in Vermont

The American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont released a report today detailing surveillance activities and technologies that are being employed ‘ or could be employed ‘ within Vermont.
‘Many people do not understand how their privacy is eroding,’ said ACLU-VT Executive Director Allen Gilbert. ‘We want this report to serve as a warning before it is too late.’
The report, titled ‘Surveillance on the Northern Border,’ details several high-tech systems that are currently being used to track people. It also describes the use of checkpoints nearly 100 miles from any international border by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its Customs and Border Protection agency.
The expanding use of drones is also examined.
‘We know that the CPB is using drones on our borders,’ said Gilbert. ‘They occasionally even lend drones to local law enforcement. But there are no regulations governing their use. Drones can be highly sophisticated surveillance devices. Vermonters need to know we’re living in a world where our rights -- as the old liberty flag warned -- are being stepped on, in a 21st-century digital way.’
The report describes the federal dollars that have poured into Vermont after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The federal government has granted more than $100 million to local law enforcement over the last 12 years. The funds spent have built high-tech systems such as Automated License Plate Readers and data collection facilities such as the Vermont Information and Analysis Center, a so-called ‘fusion center.’ Federal grants have also allowed the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles to integrate facial recognition software into jts drivers’ licenses photo systems.
‘The data that is being retained about U.S. citizens -- our neighbors -- is scary,’ said Gilbert. ‘The government can easily find out where you’ve been and sometimes even who you’ve been there with. When people are tracked without suspicion they’ve committed a crime, their civil liberties are violated.’
The release of the report falls on Constitution Day, which is a day celebrating the adoption of the United States Constitution.
The announcement also featured the public unveiling of an ACLU-VT produced whiteboard video and a demonstration of a small drone.
People interested in reading Surveillance on the Northern Border and its accompanying video should go to www.acluvt.org.
About ACLU-VT
The ACLU-VT is a nonprofit organization with 2,200 members in Vermont; nationally, the ACLU has 500,000 members. The ACLU-VT’s mission is to protect the individual liberties guaranteed in the U.S. and Vermont constitutions. The organization accepts no government funding for its work, relying instead on contributions from private citizens.