Balancing Privacy Impacts with Effective Oversight
Our world becomes more connected world every day with digital platforms and new technologies impacting our lives. Technology that is considered "surveillance technology" can provide a variety of benefits when used appropriately - as well as potential risks to public privacy - there are always trade-offs with the use of different technologies. The County of Santa Clara uses surveillance technology for public safety, security, and employee productivity, and has therefore implemented the following rules and processes to support the benefits and mitigate the risks to public privacy:
- The Surveillance Technology Ordinance (Division A40 or "A40), which requires that all technologies be reviewed and that "medium-risk" and "higher-risk" technologies have appropriate Surveillance Use Policies.
- Additional oversight for public safety and justice (PSJ) departments: A40 requires that the County's Office of Corrections and Law Enforcement Monitoring (OCLEM) also review each new Surveillance Use Policy from PSJ Departments (District Attorney, Pretrial Services, Probation, and Sheriff).
Annual Reports - A40 requires that each year the Privacy Office present an annual report to the Board of Supervisors covering how the higher-risk technologies were used by different departments in the prior year. The report also lists each medium-risk surveillance technology. Here are links for the Annual Surveillance Reports:
Annual Surveillance Report for Fiscal Year 2023-24
Initial Submission: Annual Surveillance Report for Fiscal Year 2023-24
Annual Surveillance Report for Fiscal Year 2022-23 (item#19)
Initial Submission: Annual Surveillance Report for Fiscal Year 2022-23