Geofencing Used To Monitor Antiracism Protesters
| Geofencing Used To Monitor Antiracism Protesters | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | University of North Carolina Campus Police Used Geofencing to Monitor Antiracism Protesters |
| Location | North Carolina, United States |
| Date | August 2020 |
| Solove Harm | Interrogation, Aggregation |
| Information | Location, Social Network, Behavioral, Computer Device |
| Threat Actors | North Carolina state investigators, Law Enforcement |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | Protest goers in North Carolina |
| High Risk Groups | Students, Suspect |
| Tangible Harms | |
UNC college police and stage investigators used the geofencing technology to monitor activists who showed up for a protest at a campus Confederate memorial known as "Silent Sam" — a statue of a gun-wielding rebel soldier.
Description
In August 2020 state investigators and college police of the University of North Carolina used a controversial tracking technology called "geofencing" to collect personal information from the cellphones of antiracism protestors at the University of North Carolina.
The technology located any cellphones that cross into the area where the investigators knew the protests will take place (statue of Silent Sam), by locking onto their geolocation systems, which can be seen as probing person's phone for information. Interrogation
They then aggregated this information with captured social media posts of people entering the area calling it "some link analysis on social media”.
A university spokesperson confirmed that the campus police continue to use geofencing, but would not say for what.
Breakdown
Threat:State investigators and college police probing the phones of anyone who enters geofenced areas for personal info
At-Risk group: Protesters
Harm: Interrogation
Secondary Consequences: not known
Breakdown
Threat: State investigators and college police cross referencing personal information collected through geofencing technology with people’s social media posts
At-Risk group: Protesters
Harm: Aggregation
Secondary Consequences: not known