According to the
San Francisco Indy Media Group, a project that started in 2009 as a
nationwide initiative to secure ports by networking sensors and cameras
in and around the Port of Oakland
has ballooned into a surveillance program for the entire city.
On July 30, the six-member Oakland City Council voted unanimously to move forward in the construction of the massive Domestic Awareness Center (DAC) which
will combine mapping systems and gunfire sensors with hundreds of surveillance feeds from cameras along city streets and port property,
reported the July 31,
Oakland Tribune.
The vote to move forward with the project came shortly after midnight as opposition from a group of concerned citizens and the ACLU citing privacy concerns gained momentum. The Council’s reasoning - $2 million in federal funds would be lost if the project was stifled.
It appears the DAC will have a much wider reach than just the Port of Oakland. The
East Bay Citizen reported that a city staff report indicated that surveillance will extend to
street cameras and various other locations, including schools and the Coliseum.
Perhaps the Oakland City Council should read George Orwell’s 1984.
All eyes should be on Oakland is it moves forward with the DAC.
