The draft policy for the Harvard public schools’ closed-circuit TV system recently installed at the Bromfield School is vague and lacks the checks and balances required to limit government intrusion on a citizen’s privacy and keep the video data secure. Closed-circuit TV systems have the potential for the tracking of innocent people, voyeurism, and other abuse. Access to the system needs to be strictly limited and monitored.
The current draft policy allows for law enforcement to monitor the data feed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no prior approval from, or notification to, the school department. There is no system required to track by whom, when, and why the data was accessed. According to the draft policy, the data may be held indefinitely. These holes in the policy can and should be closed.
The superintendent and the School Committee need to sharpen their pencils and revise this policy, keeping in mind worst-case scenarios for abuse as they draft measures to protect our privacy.
Paul Richards
Westcott Road
