Police officers spied on protestors at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL, photographing activists for identification with facial recognition software, and recording “evidence-quality” video, voice, and data with enhanced smartphones. The surveillance effort, sponsored by private companies, served as a pilot for the development of a National Public Safety Broadband Network, which will link law enforcement surveillance and communications around the country.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/smartphones-used-to-monitor-tampa-protests-20120917
Read the ACLU blog on the Public Safety Broadband Network here
Read the National Journal’s update with comment from the ACLU here