Prisons Monitor Inmate Calls to Detect Coronavirus
| Prisons Monitor Inmate Calls to Detect Coronavirus | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | Prisons In the United States Use Software Verus to Monitor and Analyzse Inmate Calls for Covid-19 Keywords |
| Location | United States |
| Date | September 2020 |
| Solove Harm | Surveillance |
| Information | Communication, Medical and Health |
| Threat Actors | Prisons and jails, LEO Technologies |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | Prisoners |
| High Risk Groups | Criminal |
| Tangible Harms | |
Jails and prisons in at least three states usу software called Verus to scan calls for Covid-19 keywords.
Description
Jail and prison officials in at least three states are using software to scan inmate calls for mentions of the coronavirus. Surveillance
The monitoring software was created by LEO Technologies, a Los Angeles company backed primarily by scandal-plagued Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy.
It automatically downloads, analyzes, and transcribes all recorded inmate calls, proactively flagging them for review. Verus provides some real-world examples of their work in undisclosed prison facilities. One shows a conversation flagged for the mention of a “disease in here,” while other inmate conversations are depicted as captured for merely mentioning a “cough” or “sneezing.”
Coronavirus monitoring trials have begun at prisons in Georgia, in jails in at least seven Alabama counties, and at one or more facilities in or near San Bernardino, California. According to LEO Technologies’ website, the Verus system operates in at least 26 facilities in 11 states, , including uses not specific to the coronavirus.
Breakdown
Threat: Prisons and jails monitoring inmate calls with the software that analyses it for mentions of coronavirus
At-Risk group: Prisoners
Harm: Surveillance
Secondary Consequences: not known
Laws and Regulations
Sources
https://theintercept.com/2020/04/21/prisons-inmates-coronavirus-monitoring-surveillance-verus/