Residential cameras are becoming an essential tool for law enforcement

Transcript

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

The nearly two-week hunt for fugitive Danelo Cavalcante in Pennsylvania was aided in part by people's doorbell cameras, as images of Cavalcante were shared with law enforcement. Footage from these cameras has become an important tool for police, so what do you need to know about how that footage can be used? Theresa Payton is here to discuss all this. She's CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity firm, and a former White House chief information officer. Theresa, so how much, from what you've seen, did authorities rely on these doorbell cameras to catch him?

THERESA PAYTON: It was incredibly helpful to them. They knew that he contacted his former colleagues and associates. He's very comfortable staying off the grid. And so these home security cameras and security cameras at businesses were vital to the ongoing investigation, tracking and eventual capture of the fugitive.

MARTÍNEZ: Did they lay out a video map, so to speak, in terms of, like, how he was moving?

PAYTON: Yeah. So what's very interesting about this, you've heard law enforcement talk about establishing a grid, establishing a perimeter, that's both physical but also digital. And so being able to have citizens turn over voluntarily, in the moment of trying to catch this fugitive, their camera feeds was incredibly helpful. This is how they learned he changed his appearance, was by somebody actually saying, hey, he showed up at my doorstep, and he got captured on different cameras. So that way, they knew what they were looking for and they could alert the public. So this isn't just helping an investigation. This is also a public safety issue. And the camera footage played a key role.

MARTÍNEZ: So OK, say I have one of these cameras on my front door. What do I need to know about how that footage can be used?

PAYTON: Now, that is a great, great question you ask. First of all, the lack of clear federal privacy regulations in the United States makes it incredibly challenging for the security camera companies because they're trying to establish industry standards. They have to figure out what each of the states are doing, how to work with law enforcement. So you, as the consumer, have to make choices based on the level of privacy you desire. So if you - you can actually - one of my favorite programs is you can actually opt in - in Baton Rouge, you can actually opt in and say, look, if there's ever an investigation going on, missing persons crime in my neighborhood, I'd like to be in a database where you know you can contact me, and I will give you my camera footage.

So that's an example of sort of proactively saying, look, I want to do my part. I want to be part of the neighborhood watch, so to speak, and offer my footage. But if you're somebody who's very concerned about your privacy and you want to make sure that you're somehow looped into this process, you can choose a company that does end-to-end encryption of your home cameras. That way, the company can't necessarily turn over the key, if you will. Think Apple when they said we're not going to unlock the phone because it's encrypted.

MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.

PAYTON: So - but what everybody needs to know is, there is a legal process.

MARTÍNEZ: Say if there's an active shooter or something like that happening. Can police tap into my camera without my consent just to neutralize things?

PAYTON: Potentially.

MARTÍNEZ: Wow.

PAYTON: There is a legal process that law enforcement should use rarely - and so this is just generally speaking - where in an event of emergency like that, they can go directly to the companies that have manufactured the cameras and say, this is a vital emergency. Lives are at stake. Lives are at risk. Can I please have access to these feeds? And then that company has to make a decision based on their internal general counsel's advice if they will comply with that emergency request. And by the way, every company, even if - I worked in financial services. Emergency requests have a legal authority and process that has to be followed, but it's supposed to be used in rare circumstances.

MARTÍNEZ: One more thing really quick - not every video is evidence of a crime or even suspicious activity, so how do people avoid becoming video vigilantes?

PAYTON: Well, yes, that is a big concern. I see people posting videos all the time saying this person looks suspicious. Please, everybody, you don't want somebody to get hurt who's just out and about minding their own business. So just be careful about what you share, how you share it.

MARTÍNEZ: Theresa Payton is CEO of Fortalice Solutions, former White House chief information officer. Theresa, thanks.

PAYTON: Thanks for having me on. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.