Cybersecurity experts raise concerns about new security cameras coming to Montreal streets

The City of Montreal intends to purchase nearly 100 cameras to assist the SPVM in its policing. The call for tender highlights two cameras in particular. The police service would like to get roughly 60 additional urban security cameras that can be controlled remotely. On top of that, it wants around 30 license plate reader cameras, which utilizes AI to track targeted vehicles across its network. Though experts have raised privacy concerns, Montreal's police chief is confident That there won't be a problem. But I want to tell the people who are listening to us, we are not at all in the aspect of the scandals that took place in the United States. We're going to do it in a smart way, but we need this tool to be able to help us in the investigations of armed violence, among other things. This summer, it was uncovered that the city obtained four license plate reader cameras despite saying it didn't. It had spent $17,000 for a one-year subscription. At the time of the report, CBC News had interviewed cybersecurity lawyer Jean-François Latreille. He said that legislators need to create safeguards in place before the technology is too heavily implemented. If no one has both hands on the wheel, we're going to lose control of the technology. And I'm not trying to be an alarmist, I'm just trying to be cautious, because this is a technology where they're great. Significant disruptive potential. Tech expert Carmi Levy says those same protections could help how officers conduct themselves to ensure they act accordingly. It makes no sense to proceed with these technologies without ironclad protections against the kinds of abuses that we have seen elsewhere. He says if Montreal wants to implement this technology, it needs to be transparent with the public. And so what we're being asked to do here as members of the public is Put the cart before the horse. In other words, roll the technology out and we'll figure out the privacy thing later on. That's what the police force is asking Montrealers to do. And that is completely unacceptable given what we know about how these technologies can be abused. Levy wonders how data will be accessed and secured and how officers will be trained to use this software. But more importantly, he says Montrealers need to be consulted.