After tens-of-thousands of fans at Boston Calling’s 2013 fall and summer music festivals were video monitored by the City of Boston without their knowledge, the City decided not to use the same technology during September’s show, which took place from Friday to Sunday.
An exposé published in August by local alternative newspaper Dig Boston revealed that the City’s monitoring program featured technology capable of analyzing body and facial patterns of every Boston Calling attendee. Though the technology can analyze features such as height, clothing and skin color, Kate Norton, press secretary for Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s office, said it was not used for analyzing all attendees.
“The searches were not focused on any individual characteristics of people at all but rather situations that were deemed a potential threat to public safety,” Norton said in an email, listing abandoned bags and illegally parked vehicles as examples.
The City does not have plans to use the surveillance technology, equipped with facial recognition software, in the future, Norton said.
In May 2013, the City paid the International Business Machines Corporation for a trial run of its “situational awareness software,” which was connected to pre-existing cameras in Boston, with the purpose of evaluating ways to better facilitate large public events, Norton said.
After testing this software under former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s administration, the City decided not to enter into a contract with IBM, however, use of situational technology has not been ruled out, Norton said.
“We have not seen a clear use case for this software that held practical value for the city’s public safety needs,” Norton said. “We are still exploring options for situational awareness software, but we lack a policy guiding use of this software because we do not have any software in place at this time.”
The City must adopt a comprehensive policy regarding use and data storage before further pursuing the technology, Norton said. Though Norton acknowledged legal and privacy concerns, she said Boston residents might not be aware when similar technology is being tested in the future.
“As the city explores new technology and new public safety tools, it may not necessarily be practical or appropriate to disclose every test or demonstration,” Norton said. “We recognize that we have a serious obligation to protect the privacy of the people who come here to enjoy our city and events.”
Boston public safety officials contacted Boston Calling organizers before the May 2013 festival to inform them the technology would be used, according to a Monday statement from Boston Calling.
“Boston Calling Music Festival was not involved in the implementation of the program,” the statement said. “Our practice is to comply with all public safety initiatives the city chooses to implement. Fan safety is our number one priority.”
Attendees at this past weekend’s Boston Calling festival had mixed feelings on being unknowingly subject to the advanced technology, but most supported the idea of enhanced security measures.
“I do wish I had been aware of it, but it doesn’t really bother me,” said Elizabeth Beaupre, 27, of Brighton. “It makes me feel more secure that if something was to happen, they would be on top of it.”
Josie Thiele, 24, of Allston, said she was not shocked to learn how extensively last year’s attendees were monitored.
“In all of life, people are unaware of how much they’re being monitored, on the Internet and in public,” she said. “People should expect it — not that it’s a good thing that they should expect it, but it’s happening all the time.”
However, Nikki Haggan, 21, of Fenway, called it “a little alarming” to know the details of the surveillance. She said patrons ought to have been made aware of the technology beforehand.
“It might have acted as a deterrent so people were safe and well behaved, but people didn’t know about it until after the fact,” she said. “It’s probably better to know that there’s this technology out there.”
Rob Hill, 27, of Brighton, said he understands the increased attention being placed on security given recent events in Boston, including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
“Honestly, you don’t have much to worry about if you’re not doing anything wrong,” he said. “Necessary? I don’t know, but I don’t have a problem with it because it’s keeping things from happening.”
