Mass Surveillance: Benefits, Dangers, and Solutions

SANTA CRUZ, CA – September 3, 2016. Spy drones, automated license plate readers, street corner cameras, cell phone trackers, call interception, and email and Internet spying are some of the many methods used today to monitor our daily movements and communications.

Join four experts for a public forum on how to balance the benefits and dangers of mass surveillance, sponsored by the Santa Cruz Chapter of the ACLU of Northern California, and co-sponsored by Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. These issues will be discussed by Shahid Buttar, Director of Grassroots Advocacy at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, retiring Capitola Chief of Police Rudy Escalante, and former State Senator and current Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who recently achieved enactment of the first ordinance requiring public input and the balancing of civil liberties in connection with the acquisition of surveillance equipment, followed by questions from the audience. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Eileen Zurbriggen, professor of psychology at UC Santa Cruz.

The forum will be held on Monday October 24th at the Louden Nelson Community Center starting at 7PM. The event is free.