We Don't Need No Stinkin' Privacy

TH readers have made a lot of good comments about privacy and the whole Pictometry fiasco. We thought it would be a good time to review where we stand on a variety of privacy fronts.

In short, the Trojan Heron believes government should be transparent and public. On the other hand, we believe that citizens are entitled to privacy, especially when in their own home and on their own property.

On the bright side, we are pleased to receive word that House Bill 1128 died last month. This was the Bill that sought to weaken the Public Records Act by allowing public agencies to use the courts to block requesters and to limit the time spent compiling records. The demise of this Bill is a win for everyone who believes in transparent government.

On the Pictometry front, from the April 23 report from Stan Matthews to Council:

Pictometry is currently flying Whatcom and Skagit Counties. The exact date of the flights here depends on weather.

Weather reports for the rest of this week are good for flying, so it would appear that the data is being collected. Apparently, San Juan County can turn down the data once it's collected and therefore not have to pay; however, the data would have already been collected, and presumably, Pictometry could then turn around and sell it to someone else. In fact, there are companies who will provide aerial photos to municipalities for free in return for a cut of the enforcement fees collected as a result.

If the planners and GIS people had their way, we'd probably have live cameras in the sky evaluating us on a constant basis. We think that it's time that the County developed a technology policy and a separate privacy policy to ensure that we only consider island-appropriate and island-affordable technologies necessary for planning and science ... not enforcement. When the use of aerial photos shifts from a "planning or scientific purpose" to an "enforcement purpose," then we have crossed the line into a surveillance program, whether drones are used or not.

There is an attitude held by some in government that if we aren't hiding anything, then there is nothing to be concerned about from the latest high-tech aerial photos. That's a specious argument. We have blinds and shades despite having nothing to hide inside our homes. We close the bathroom door even though nothing secret happens in there. Privacy is a basic human need without connection to wrongdoing.

In fact, whenever someone advances the "if you have nothing to hide" argument, it is a dead giveaway that the speaker is simply wanting to nab people with the new technology.

Why is it that some in our County government (see clip below) think secret government meetings are a valuable part of the deliberative process, and yet these same people fail to recognize the need for personal privacy protections?

Note: we apologize for the A/V sync issues but they are on the original video from the County.