Vumacam Johannesburg SafeCity
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SafeCity is an an AI-powered, private CCTV network consisting of over 5,000 cameras in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Video footage is combined with other tools such as license plate recognition to identify criminal suspects, 'unusual behaviour' and and track population movements using machine learning analytics.
System 🤖
System info 🔢
Operator: Vumatel/Vumacam
Developer: Vumatel/Vumacam
Country: South Africa
Sector: Govt - police; Govt - security
Purpose:
Technology: CCTV; Computer vision; Deep learning; Machine learning; Object recognition
Issue: Bias/discrimination; Human/civil rights; Privacy; Surveillance
Transparency: Governance
Risks and harms 🛑
Johannesburg SafeCity has raised concerns over the surveillance of public spaces, the erosion of privacy and civil liberties, and inadequate transparency and accountability.
Transparency and accountability 🙈
Vumacam Johannesburg SafeCity is seen to suffer from several transparency and accountability limitations.
Decision-making processes. The is little public information about the full extent of the system's capabilities and how it works.
Data usage. There is a lack of transparency regarding how the collected data, including license plate information, is used, stored, and shared.
Algorithm access. There is a lack of independent audits or assessments of the system's effectiveness and potential biases.
Complaints and appeals. There is no clear way for citizens to provide input or feedback on the system's operation or to challenge its use.
Incidents and issues 🔥
March 2023. Vumacam hit by ransomware attack
November 2019. Vumacam accused of driving "AI-powered apartheid"
September 2019. South Africa information regulator cautions Vumacam over data collection and use
Regulation 👩🏼⚖️
Research, advocacy 🧮
CounterPunch (2017). Apartheid in the Shadows: the USA, IBM and South Africa’s Digital Police State