The liberal movement to combat home surveillance technology is growing increasingly divisive. From Ring cameras to the Neighbors app, it appears that any security measure could have a negative connotation and be labeled as “dangerous” or “racist.”
Adrienne So, a senior associate reviews editor at Wired magazine, recently suggested that these devices are not only dangerous to users but can also lead to racial profiling.
Surveillance tech has been used in many successful ways: from heroics and exposing criminality to recording unsettling events.
The Neighbors app allows for communities to coordinate with each other in order to counter crime, bolster security, report missing pets, and look out for one another.
Sadly, this is seen by some as unacceptable—particularly where So’s article is concerned—as she claims it makes it too easy for law enforcement agencies (or private citizens) “to target certain groups for suspicion of crime based on skin color, ethnicity, religion or country of origin.”
So further insinuated that police officers would access footage requiring a warrant without permission while also suggesting people should not purchase Ring cameras because “contributing to a just society is also a factor in keeping your family safe.”
This viewpoint was widely ridiculed by conservative commentators such as Richard Hanania – president of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology – who tweeted: “I absolutely love this. Ring cameras help solve and prevent crime. What’s the problem? If it’s too easy and solve and prevent crime, it just means you might start suspecting black people. Ergo we should make it harder to fight crime.”
In addition Ted Frank – director of litigation at the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute – pointed out how Wired had praised Nextdoor earlier in 2020 when they removed their feature allowing users to submit incriminating videos directly to police; implying that liberalism has become synonymous with wanting greater difficulty fighting crime than succeeding against it.
It appears clear then that liberals are no longer content with simply opposing criminal justice methods like armed homeowners or robust police forces.
Now they’re targeting home surveillance tech which can provide much-needed assistance in combating criminal activity or even potentially saving lives in certain circumstances.
It’s time Americans stood up against this irrational stance which carries such an obvious downside if left unchecked.
