On the 17th of April we received a message from the Loyal Hill family regarding the installation of CCTV cameras. The residents reported feeling uneasy, anxious, and distressed over the cameras. Omar Dill, the area representative immediately began dialogue with the residents.
In his conversations he discovered multiple areas which should be addressed.
After gathering the facts, Mr. Dill met with the Minister of National Security in an attempt to collaborate to create a solution. Mr. Dill then followed up with a letter outlining the concerns of the community he represents. In his letter Mr. Dill said that “While the intent to enhance security is undoubtedly appreciated by many across Bermuda, it has sparked a sense of anxiety and distress among the Loyal Hill residents. I have been informed that the visibility of these cameras has notably discouraged the community’s children from playing outdoors.”
Our position specic to Loyal Hill is the following:
• The location of the camera is different from the proposed location of the camera. This represents an area of mistrust among the residents and must be addressed immediately.
• The reports of children feeling anxious regarding playing outside and the privacy concerns of women in the constituency is disturbing and must be addressed immediately.
• Reports of the residents’ concerns about the intrusive nature of the camera must be addressed immediately.
The response to our position was deemed insufficient and the residents of Loyal Hill have not been adequately represented. We further understand that the proposed CCTV network has raised concerns about privacy among Bermudians as a whole.
We decided to partner with @teh_islander to develop the webapp that we are launching today. The website is available at www.listsentothepeople.net. This website includes an interactive interface, which is intended to bring awareness to the vastness of the proposed CCTV cameras.
We encourage the community to assist with the accuracy of the camera placements by sending pictures to locations@listentothepeople.net.
Many of these cameras are equipped with state of the art facial recognition software and can capture images using 30x zoom. We understand that the use of these cameras can represent an unlawful search and infringe on a person’s freedom of association.
The FDM’s position on privacy rights is the following:
• There is a thin line between privacy and security.
• There should be protections in place to guarantee the security of the data this network collects.
• A government should always collaborate with the people.
The FDM further pledges to never remove this website. We pledge to always consider the people and as a government collaboration with the people will always be sought.
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