The Hidden World of WA Surveillance

07/26/23 • 21 min

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Federal relief funds are financing new surveillance technology across the state. Reporter Brandon Block discusses why privacy advocates are concerned.

If you walk around downtown Seattle and look closely, you may notice that you’re being watched. From traffic cameras to automated license-plate readers, surveillance technology is all around us. And thanks to new funding from the American Rescue Plan, many cities across Washington and the country are buying even more technologies that can collect personal data.

As Crosscut reporter Brandon Block discovered, the laws that govern this kind of technology are limited, and vary from city to city.

Police and other city departments say these new devices and software will help them do their jobs far more effectively. But privacy advocates say they allow government agencies to track innocent people, with little regulation or transparency around how sensitive data is being used or shared.

For this episode of Crosscut Reports, host Sara Bernard talks with Block about his tour of existing surveillance technology in downtown Seattle; what kinds of surveillance federal funds are now making possible in police departments around the state; and the potential ramifications of all of this.

Read our full report on surveillance in Washington here.

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Credits

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard

Reporter: Brandon Block

Executive producer: Sarah Menzies

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Federal relief funds are financing new surveillance technology across the state. Reporter Brandon Block discusses why privacy advocates are concerned.

As Crosscut reporter Brandon Block discovered, the laws that govern this kind of technology are limited, and vary from city to city.

Read our full report on surveillance in Washington here.

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Credits

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard

Reporter: Brandon Block

Executive producer: Sarah Menzies

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Previous Episode

Biking Every Single Street in Seattle

Reporter Conor Courtney explains how cyclist Danny Roberts began the passion project — and what the journey meant to both of them.

In late 2021, freelance writer and photographer Conor Courtney noticed some strange patterns on the fitness app Strava. An acquaintance, Danny Roberts, was posting about riding his bike all over Seattle—but not on typical bike-friendly routes. He would consistently zig-zag back and forth on every street in a given neighborhood.

Turns out Roberts was doing this for a specific purpose. He’d decided to bike every single street in the city of Seattle. In the end, it took him about 13 months of riding hard. And Courtney thought it was worth asking why.

Along the way, Roberts found unique, hidden corners of Seattle and learned a whole lot more about the city he loves. But he was also hit by a car and suffered fairly serious injuries. That didn’t stop him.

In this episode of Crosscut Reports, host Sara Bernard talks with Courtney about Roberts’ unusual project and what it meant to him; the joy and challenges of riding bikes in Seattle; and why Courtney was inspired to report on this project in the first place.

Read our full report on Danny Roberts' Seattle cycling journey here.

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Credits

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard

Reporter: Conor Courtney

Executive producer: Mark Baumgarten

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Next Episode

The Fight Over Public Libraries

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Calls for censorship of LGBTQ+ young adult books in Columbia County mirror a national political debate. Meg Butterworth shares her reporting.

A fight has been raging nationwide over book-banning in schools and libraries. According to the American Library Association, calls for censorship of specific titles nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022, and the vast majority targeted books by and about the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.

But as reporter Meg Butterworth found, in one rural county in Washington the battle has gone beyond the books themselves. It could end up eliminating an entire library system.

That’s because, after a year of tense board meetings, misinformation and demands to censor half-a-dozen titles, one local resident collected enough signatures to put a petition to close the library on Columbia County’s November ballot.

For this episode of Crosscut Reports, host Sara Bernard talks with Butterworth about what’s been happening in Columbia County, how closely it tracks with the national debate and what all this says about political polarization, censorship, the role of librarians and the meaning of a public library.

Read our full report on the local and national battle over books here.

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Credits

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard

Reporter: Meg Butterworth

Executive producer: Sarah Menzies

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