LIVERMORE, Calif., July 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF) posted an article on its website on
July 10, 2018, accusing Vigilant
Solutions, a global machine vision and data analytics company, and
our customer – Irvine Company – of sharing vehicle location data
with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) so the agency could
spy on mall patrons. This accusation is patently false.
The researcher who authored the piece – Dave Maass – never contacted Vigilant Solutions
for comment or to verify the accuracy of the inflammatory
allegations contained in his article, which has been falsely
characterized as a "report". As a result, most of the article is
false, and the parts that are not false – are at best misleading.
The remainder of it is opinion based on speculation and designed to
scare the public in a self-serving attempt to generate news to
promote the EFF.
Vigilant Solutions is calling out the following key points:
- The entire premise of the article is false. Vigilant Solutions
and Irvine Company do not share the Automated License Plate Reader
(ALPR) data gathered at malls with ICE. As Irvine Company has
stated, it is shared with select law enforcement agencies to ensure
the security of mall patrons.
- These law enforcement agencies do not have the ability in
Vigilant Solutions' system to electronically copy this data or
share this data with other persons or agencies, such as ICE.
- The article notes that "The City
of San Pablo put an expansion of its surveillance
network on hold". This statement is misleading and designed to
create a false narrative. The City of San
Pablo had concerns about the use of ALPR technology by law
enforcement, but they invited privacy advocates and Vigilant
Solutions in to meet with them to discuss these concerns. Vigilant
Solutions met with Council members and the community and provided
them with a demonstration of ALPR's capabilities to protect the
public and shared its commitment to simultaneously helping law
enforcement ensure public safety without compromising individual
privacy. Following the meeting, the San Pablo City Council later
voted unanimously to approve the Vigilant Solutions contract and
expand their use of ALPR technology.
- The article notes, "Vigilant Solutions shares data with as many
as 1,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide." This is also a false
statement. Vigilant Solutions does not share any law enforcement
data. The assertion is simply untrue. Law enforcement agencies
own their own ALPR data and if they choose to share it with
other jurisdictions, the can elect to do so – and they can elect
not to share the data with agencies, as well.
Vigilant Solutions always has been and will continue to be
compliant with all applicable laws in California and throughout the nation that
apply to the use of its technologies.
Vigilant Solutions is evaluating potential legal claims against
Mr. Maass and the EFF for its false and misleading article, and
respectfully requests the EFF retract the article and replace it
with a post apologizing to Vigilant Solutions and Irvine Company
for perpetuating fake news about the companies.
About Vigilant Solutions
Vigilant Solutions'
technology helps law enforcement solve crimes faster to keep
officers and communities safe. A leader in machine vision and data
analytics for the public safety market internationally, Vigilant
Solutions provides license plate recognition (LPR), facial
recognition and ballistic analysis to deliver intelligence to
agencies across the globe. Built for agencies of all sizes,
Vigilant Solutions' technology increases investigative efficiency,
generates more leads, connects cases, and reduces crimes with
advanced analytics, billions of nationwide commercial LPR
detections, and a hosted facial recognition gallery. Bring
criminals to justice with Vigilant Solutions. Visit
www.VigilantSolutions.com.
Media Contact:
Mary Alice Johnson
703.606.2413
maryalice.johnson@vigilantsolutions.com
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SOURCE Vigilant Solutions