For six years, New Orleans police have been using a secret program that uses social media to locate violent criminals.
A program from Peter Theil's Palantir has been used by New Orleans cops for six years to try to predict which people are likely to have been involved in violent crimes. The program may have been controversial, but it was unknown to the public until a report published in The Verge uncovered its use. "The program, like a similar program in Chicago, pulls information from a variety of law enforcement databases and social media networks, and draws up a list of people most likely to be involved in violent crime," Tanvi Misra reports for CityLab.
If the existence of the Palantir program were public knowledge, civil rights advocates might have protested the possibility for automated discrimination. "Cities across the U.S. are adopting new surveillance technologies and algorithms without any public input or oversight," Misra writes. To address this the ACLU has been advocating for public hearings for these new technologies, so that citizens can have some say in how they are policed.
FULL STORY: The Local Movement to Curb Big Brother
2020 Population Growth Rates for the 50 Biggest U.S. Cities
The Census Bureau released new data on May 27 that includes the first four months of the pandemic. Seattle tops the growth rate at 2.2% from July 1, 2019, to July 1, 2020, while Baltimore and San Francisco land at the bottom with -1.4%.
Nextdoor Getting Cozy With Local Officials
CityLab investigates the practices of company officials at Nextdoor to cultivate relationships with police and local officials.
New Orleans 'Smart City' Program Would Install Video Cameras in Public
The video cameras would be used to collect data on street light outages, but could also potentially used by police in the city's crime surveillance program.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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