C.S.
I'm an independent security researcher & privacy advocate. Over the last 7 years, I've reviewed and given public comment on all of Seattle's official surveillance technologies. I've worked closely with the Seattle Community Surveillance Working Group. I've also organized with various local non-profits and grassroots groups participating in the Seattle Surveillance Ordinance process and on state-level legislation spanning: civil liberties, data privacy, digital IDs, automated decision systems, right to repair, and other bills.
Session
Seattle was one of the first USA cities to have a Surveillance Ordinance. This enables Seattle residents to pull back the curtain on a type of mass surveillance not as commonly discussed by the news media: a service that provides real-time travel time calculations using a system of WiFi/Bluetooth MAC address sniffers deployed across the city. I'll bring you up to speed on this surveillance technology, the variety of issues that have been identified with it (both technical and non-technical), and its removal from Seattle. I'll also discuss some aspects about privacy of mobile devices specific to challenges with MAC addresses (i.e. randomization, anonymization, etc). Lastly, I will give you pointers on how to get started reviewing surveillance technologies your local municipality has deployed, so that you too can put your technical/security skills to use to help your neighbors and community.