privacysurveillance

Surveillance camera audit tool

Develop an app that documents public camera installations with geotagged photos and metadata. Journalists and activists need this to track surveillance creep.

Why now

Growing controversy around automated license plate readers creates demand for oversight tools.

Who for
Privacy advocates and journalists
Business model
Nonprofit grants + paid pro features
Effort
A few weeks

Communities lack transparent records of where surveillance cameras are being installed by private companies and police.

Create a mobile app that lets users photograph cameras, tag locations, and identify models (using image recognition for common devices like Flock).

Monetize through nonprofit grants or a paid tier for investigative teams needing encrypted collaboration.

MVP: Simple map interface with photo uploads and manual tagging.

Risk: Legal challenges from surveillance vendors claiming copyright/trade secret violations.

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Surveillance camera audit tool — Ideas