
Seattle Surveillance Technologies Up for Public Review - markovbot
http://www.seattle.gov/tech/initiatives/privacy/surveillance-technologies
======
jdavis703
Seattle uses WiFi MAC addresses to track traffic movements. While the data is
currently hashed and anonymized, it wouldn't surprise me if this data is
eventually processed and combined with CV technology (specifically license
plate readers and facial recognition tech) to provide detailed information on
the movements of individuals. From one of their documents:

Acyclica technology collects encrypted media access control (MAC) address
information and sends the data to the cloud using their RoadTrend Sensor. This
sensor is a proprietary Linux-based device that is discreetly installed inside
of traffic control cabinets for SDOT. The devices are Ethernet connected and
have a Wi-Fi adapter capturing the MAC addresses of all devices within its
range. Using the detection of MAC addresses, Acyclica identifies and
differentiates vehicle movement as it approaches, stops and leaves an
intersection. When Wi-Fi enabled device comes within range, the sensor
generates a one-way hash code from the detected device’s MAC address (using a
SHA-256 algorithm). Only the hash codes are transmitted to their cloud server,
and there is no way to reverse this process and access addresses of the
original devices. From the aggregated data, Acyclica can extract and provide
actionable traffic related information to SDOT.

~~~
rfoo
> generates a one-way hash code from the detected device’s MAC address (using
> a SHA-256 algorithm)

This does not sound truly "no way to reverse" if they are using plain or some
simple variants of SHA-256. There are only up to 2^48 possible MAC addresses
(way less in practice), which is a very realistic number for rainbow tables.

That said, this might be less relevant quickly as more and more devices are
going to use randomized MAC addresses for probing Wi-Fi networks.

~~~
loeg
Also, (typical) MAC addresses are not random; the upper 24 bits are
constrained to a given smaller set of manufacturer codes, so you can reduce
the search space considerably.

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debatem1
As someone who was raised in the south I find the competence of Seattle's city
government absolutely amazing. It's night-and-day different from the learned
helplessness of city governments elsewhere in the US.

~~~
rbritton
I'm not entirely sure what I'd call it, but competent is not the word. Seattle
has a history of attempting to push constitutionally-questionable and ill-
thought legislation.

0: [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-
news/politics/seattle-p...](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-
news/politics/seattle-playing-wait-and-see-with-income-tax-on-the-wealthy/)

1: [https://q13fox.com/2018/05/08/seattles-proposed-employee-
tax...](https://q13fox.com/2018/05/08/seattles-proposed-employee-tax-highest-
head-tax-in-the-nation/)

2: [https://patch.com/washington/seattle/seattle-residents-
jolte...](https://patch.com/washington/seattle/seattle-residents-jolted-new-
sugar-tax)

3: [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-
news/politics/seattle-t...](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-
news/politics/seattle-to-add-tax-on-gun-ammunition-sales/)

and so on.

~~~
debatem1
I get that you don't like taxes, but policy disagreement is not evidence of
incompetence.

~~~
barsonme
There's much more that's not just not liking taxes.

\- [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-
news/politics/12-millio...](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-
news/politics/12-million-per-mile-for-a-bike-lane-that-should-trigger-a-civic-
heart-attack/)

\- [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/like-
terr...](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/like-terrain-for-
a-jeep-obstacle-course-the-enduring-mystery-of-why-seattle-cant-fix-its-
roads/)

Or see the city council's total failure at dealing with homelessness. Or their
180 on the head tax.

~~~
debatem1
I drove a stiffened up sports car in the area for years and the idea that
Seattle has bad roads is ludicrous. The city of Seattle literally has an app
where you can report potholes. I reported one on my street and it was fixed 2
days later with no further interaction from me.

For comparison, my parents' road in South Carolina is less than 5 miles from a
major downtown and has a pothole in it that disabled an ambulance a few years
ago. The pothole has been there for at least a decade.

People who live here have no idea how good they have it.

~~~
jorblumesea
Yeah, I think many Seattleites do not understand the sheer ineptitude of many
local governments, even large ones such as Chicago or LA that have budget. God
help you if you want the city of Chicago to provide you with any kind of basic
service in a reasonable amount of time.

I think the reason that we think our government is incompetent is the reason
it works. We're constantly angry and trying to fix it, and electing reformers
that shake things up.

Although I would say is that Seattle does elect a few activists and others to
the council that aren't competent administrators but push the right electoral
buttons. Kshama Sawant comes to mind. That progressive spirit is a double
edged sword.

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gsreenivas
This public review isn't be accident. For several years, an advocacy group
that I was involved with briefly helped with achieving important milestones
like a getting a chief privacy officer and a privacy advisory committee.

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jak92
Great idea. I wish more local governments had this. Lots of cities are
acquiring surveillance without pols even knowing.

~~~
schoen
As the page notes, this is a result of a surveillance transparency ordinance
adopted in 2017. Some other cities are considering these; readers could
advocate for them elsewhere too.

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samstave
Another city that forces private companies to provide them surveillance data
is menlo park.

