DERBY — Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan submitted comments yesterday expressing his concerns about U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s recent proposal to place Remote Video Surveillance Systems towers in Derby, Franklin, Richford, and Troy.
Donovan stated that he is concerned about unwarranted surveillance or potential interference with the privacy interests of Vermonters.
“CBP has failed to make a compelling case that the scale and scope of the proposed surveillance is ultimately necessary, and it has failed to adequately take into account Vermonters’ privacy concerns,” Donovan said.
He says that CBP should place adequate safeguards to ensure that Vermonters are free from intrusive 24-hour surveillance while living or visiting near the border for legitimate reasons.
Since taking office in 2017, Attorney General Donovan says he has prioritized the privacy interests of Vermonters by taking strong positions favoring privacy with respect to data collection, security, and commodification.
In 2020, Attorney General Donovan sued Clearview AI, a company that collected billions of citizens’ images from the internet for the purpose of creating a mass surveillance facial recognition system, to prohibit its use in Vermont or on Vermonter’s images.
The Department of Homeland Security currently uses surveillance technology developed by Clearview AI.
