This is CRAZY!! Devices on public buses in Maryland are listening to private conversations
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D. Morgan
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The Maryland Senate is scheduled to consider a bill on Tuesday that would clamp down on when public buses and trains can record the private conversations of their passengers.
“What [the Maryland Transit Administration] is doing is a mass surveillance,” said Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, which unanimously voted for the measure to move to the Senate floor.
“I find it outrageous,” Zirkin said. “I don’t want to overstate it, but this is the issue of our generation. As technology advances, it becomes easier and easier to encroach on people’s civil liberties.”
While Zirkin and other proponents argue that the technology, which has been in use since 2012, is an infringement on civil liberties, the bill’s opponents say the recordings are a necessary tool for homeland security.
The bill, which would affect MTA buses in the Baltimore area, Ride On buses in Montgomery County and TheBus in Prince George’s County, creates guidelines for audio recordings and places limits on when they can be made.
[On buses, cameras are watching and listening]
MTA began using recording devices inside some of its buses in 2012, without seeking legislative approval. Nearly 500 of its fleet of 750 buses now have audio recording capabilities. Officials say the devices can capture important information in cases of driver error or an attack or altercation on a bus.
Under the bill, recording devices would have to be installed near a bus or train operators’ seat. The devices would be controlled by the driver and could be activated only in the event of a public-safety incident.
The legislation to limit the recordings came to the Senate floor last week, but a vote was delayed until Tuesday after several lawmakers raised questions about how much it would cost to retrofit or replace existing recording equipment to meet the bill’s requirements.
Some lawmakers raised the issue of security. Several asked for the delay to allow time to draft amendments.
“I can make an argument to tape everybody, everywhere, everywhere they walk, everywhere they talk, and you can make the excuse for homeland security,” Zirkin said. “But that is not a valid reason to encroach this fundamentally on people’s privacy rights.”
This is the fourth time in four years that the bill to limit the recordings has been introduced. Previous pieces of legislation have never made it out of committee, but Zirkin’s committee unanimously approved it this year.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) indicated last week that he doesn’t like the bill and would probably vote against it because he feels the limitations could compromise security and he does not want to incur the cost of replacing existing equipment.
The Judicial Proceedings Committee will hear testimony Tuesday on a bill that would change the way police officers in Maryland are trained and the process they go through when they are accused of misconduct.
The legislation, which was heard in the House last week, was created after last spring’s riots in Baltimore and repeated calls from criminal justice advocates for police reform.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/devices-on-public-buses-in-maryland-are-listening-to-private-conversations/2016/02/29/325e1d1e-df36-11e5-8d98-4b3d9215ade1_story.html?hpid=hp_local-news_mdbustalk-8am:homepage/story
“What [the Maryland Transit Administration] is doing is a mass surveillance,” said Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, which unanimously voted for the measure to move to the Senate floor.
“I find it outrageous,” Zirkin said. “I don’t want to overstate it, but this is the issue of our generation. As technology advances, it becomes easier and easier to encroach on people’s civil liberties.”
While Zirkin and other proponents argue that the technology, which has been in use since 2012, is an infringement on civil liberties, the bill’s opponents say the recordings are a necessary tool for homeland security.
The bill, which would affect MTA buses in the Baltimore area, Ride On buses in Montgomery County and TheBus in Prince George’s County, creates guidelines for audio recordings and places limits on when they can be made.
[On buses, cameras are watching and listening]
MTA began using recording devices inside some of its buses in 2012, without seeking legislative approval. Nearly 500 of its fleet of 750 buses now have audio recording capabilities. Officials say the devices can capture important information in cases of driver error or an attack or altercation on a bus.
Under the bill, recording devices would have to be installed near a bus or train operators’ seat. The devices would be controlled by the driver and could be activated only in the event of a public-safety incident.
The legislation to limit the recordings came to the Senate floor last week, but a vote was delayed until Tuesday after several lawmakers raised questions about how much it would cost to retrofit or replace existing recording equipment to meet the bill’s requirements.
Some lawmakers raised the issue of security. Several asked for the delay to allow time to draft amendments.
“I can make an argument to tape everybody, everywhere, everywhere they walk, everywhere they talk, and you can make the excuse for homeland security,” Zirkin said. “But that is not a valid reason to encroach this fundamentally on people’s privacy rights.”
This is the fourth time in four years that the bill to limit the recordings has been introduced. Previous pieces of legislation have never made it out of committee, but Zirkin’s committee unanimously approved it this year.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) indicated last week that he doesn’t like the bill and would probably vote against it because he feels the limitations could compromise security and he does not want to incur the cost of replacing existing equipment.
The Judicial Proceedings Committee will hear testimony Tuesday on a bill that would change the way police officers in Maryland are trained and the process they go through when they are accused of misconduct.
The legislation, which was heard in the House last week, was created after last spring’s riots in Baltimore and repeated calls from criminal justice advocates for police reform.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/devices-on-public-buses-in-maryland-are-listening-to-private-conversations/2016/02/29/325e1d1e-df36-11e5-8d98-4b3d9215ade1_story.html?hpid=hp_local-news_mdbustalk-8am:homepage/story
Comments
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Who cares tho really? People willingly lay out their entire lives versing in text with practically everyone they've ever known or will know.
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BiblicalAtheist wrote: »Who cares tho really? People willingly lay out their entire lives versing in text with practically everyone they've ever known or will know.
That's a broad generalization and it still doesn't justify their actions. -
The_Jackal wrote: »BiblicalAtheist wrote: »Who cares tho really? People willingly lay out their entire lives versing in text with practically everyone they've ever known or will know.
That's a broad generalization and it still doesn't justify their actions.
Exactly.
Myself and a lot of people I know do nothing that dude is saying in that post.
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Broad but true. It's justified in the fact no one does anything to stop it. If people don't stop an injustice, it must not be a big enough crime.
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To you or me it big, it's huge! Unprecedented! But it falls on deaf ears and blind eyes(headphones and devices).
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BiblicalAtheist wrote: »Broad but true. It's justified in the fact no one does anything to stop it. If people don't stop an injustice, it must not be a big enough crime.
Yo there are mad privacy advocacy groups out there -
BiblicalAtheist wrote: »To you or me it big, it's huge! Unprecedented! But it falls on deaf ears and blind eyes(headphones and devices).
Obviously not if people are trying to fight it now. Also its says the MTA did it without legislative approval so I take that as it was done without notifying the public at all and only some of the local government officials I'm sure some knew about it.
I can be honest this is my first time hearing about it. I personally don't have any social media accounts besides posting on here. Don't talk or text about personal ? on my phone. My folks either come to me, I come to them or we meet halfway and talk face to face.
I know they do ? like this so I try to minimize the ? as much as possible and I don't even do ? that is illegal. Just the type of person I am. I love my privacy!! -
Well damn
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I think most public transportation has video surveillance installed already. How is this different? People get outraged over anything.
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babelipsss wrote: »I think most public transportation has video surveillance installed already. How is this different? People get outraged over anything.
How can you not see the difference?
Having a camera to make sure people don't ? up the bus driver or passengers is way different than being able to listen to people phone conversations.
Come on now ? is a huge difference.
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I don't think a citizen has any expectation of privacy on a public bus. I'm not sure but I don't think so.
In any event, bus drivers are attacked enough to warrant some kind of surveillance. If the driver is controlling when the recording starts then it's probably limited in usage already. -
people willingly tell on themselves all day everyday on social media, what's new
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I'm OK with this esp after all the attacks lately on the METRO ? is crazy. If you don't like it...drive.
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people willingly tell on themselves all day everyday on social media, what's new
Again that in noway justifies a company from recording our private conversation. -
not an issue to me...? you get the metro and ? be yelling there whole life story across the train cars to other folks and ?
on the real they need a study on why them MTA buses always late...Bmore public transportation was the ? worst
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SMH @ any of y'all ok with this ? .
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The_Jackal wrote: »
Not sure how you can expect privacy on a PUBLIC bus my ?SMH @ any of y'all ok with this ? .
Sound like you need a car... -
WTF is some of yall limits to this type of stuff when will yall feel this type of ? has gone to far?
I mean damn yall really feel its ok for conversations between people riding the bus to be recorded. -
Not cool
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yellowtapesport wrote: »The_Jackal wrote: »
Not sure how you can expect privacy on a PUBLIC bus my ?SMH @ any of y'all ok with this ? .
Sound like you need a car...
? it might as well record your conversation at your school, hospitals, city parks, ? might as well place recording towers in front of your house. After all its all public space and as such a private conversation should automatically become public. That's how foolish you sound.
It's not about having a car because I have one it's about boundaries being overstepped and you beING ok with it simply because your in public -
WTF is some of yall limits to this type of stuff when will yall feel this type of ? has gone to far?
I mean damn yall really feel its ok for conversations between people riding the bus to be recorded.
They're going to justify it by saying it can prevent domestic terrorism and acts of chaos if they find out what the person is talking about before it happens SMMFH. Corporations will pay big money to find out what people are talking about so they can learn more about the consumer, etc.
This is already understood. My question is to the people who seem to have no problems every time the government steps this ? up as where they are putting cameras and recording people at. Where do yall draw the line? -
Why should audio recording be considered more intrusive than a video recording?
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babelipsss wrote: »Why should anybody audio recording be considered more intrusive than a video recording?
Whats your opinion on body cameras for the police? -
The issue is also.....well what's next.
It's amazing how far the goal post moves generation by generation and the social conditioning that results in a new normal for the next generation.
The mass of people usually will accept anything that doesn't physically touch them.....
Will ppl continue to board the buses if the audio is recorded? Yes.
Will ppl continue to use their phones if the government has access? Yes.
People's attitudes become "well they're already doing X anyway so may as well it don't matter"
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WTF is some of yall limits to this type of stuff when will yall feel this type of ? has gone to far?
I mean damn yall really feel its ok for conversations between people riding the bus to be recorded.
i simply don't care if my conversations are being recorded. Just doesn't bother me at all.
