"Banjo AI Surveillance: Monitoring Traffic Cameras Across Utah in Real Time"

A small company named Banjo is advancing AI surveillance for law enforcement across Utah, as reported by Motherboard. In July, Banjo secured a five-year contract worth $20.7 million with the state. This agreement grants the company real-time access to various data sources, including state traffic cameras, CCTV, public safety cameras, 911 emergency systems, and location data from state-owned vehicles. In return, Banjo commits to alerting law enforcement to "anomalies," essentially identifying potential crimes. However, this partnership raises significant concerns.

Banjo utilizes data collected from social media, satellite imagery, and real-time information from law enforcement agencies. The company asserts that its "Live Time Intelligence" AI can detect incidents such as kidnappings, shootings, and drug overdoses as they unfold. Despite its promises, Banjo faces scrutiny similar to that of other surveillance firms. For instance, Clearview AI encountered strong opposition due to inadequate data storage and security measures, which resulted in substantial data leaks.

Although Banjo claims to eliminate personal data from its system, the specifics of this process and its effectiveness remain ambiguous. Additionally, there are major concerns regarding the lack of public oversight and the potential for misuse. Facial recognition technology, which Banjo employs, is known to exhibit bias, particularly struggling to accurately interpret non-white faces. As a result, some law enforcement agencies have chosen to refrain from using it.

The Banjo contract permits the deployment of its technology across all 29 counties in Utah, including the state’s 13 largest cities, 10 other significant cities, and the University of Utah. However, despite the widespread implementation, Motherboard has not yet identified any cases where Banjo's technology has contributed to solving crimes, though this does not imply that the technology is not already in use.