CCLA to Hamilton Police: Cease and Desist Drone Program

TORONTO — The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) is demanding the Hamilton Police Service (HPS) immediately suspend their drone program.

The call follows a recent report of the Hamilton Police urging the expansion of the Remotely Piloted Aerial System program.

“The Hamilton Police do not need more tools to invade the privacy of Hamiltonians,” said Daniel Konikoff, Interim Director, Privacy, Technology and Surveillance.

HPS uses drones for criminal investigations and for monitoring large-scale events. Drones stand to capture more images of individuals at or near crime scenes than is relevant, and drones hovering above large-scale events can chill protest and freedom of expression.

“We don’t know whether the HPS addressed these issues in the privacy impact assessment (PIA) they conducted on their drone program or in the privacy-related documents they reviewed ahead of deployment. But HPS’ drone program has operated without consultation with the public, the Ontario Privacy Commissioner’s office, or the marginalized communities that stand to suffer the most from increased aerial surveillance. And notably, the PIA doesn’t prevent the arming of drones with weapons or facial recognition software, leaving the technology open to abuse and misuse,” concluded Konikoff.

CCLA calls on the HPS to cease and desist using drones immediately.

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About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.

Media Contact:
media@ccla.org
Alex Nanoff
613.709.6318