“Surveillance in America with Michael Soyfer”

The rapid advancement of surveillance technology is outpacing the laws intended to regulate it. Police departments across the U.S. are using automated license plate readers, facial recognition, and predictive systems that silently record the daily activities of millions. While these technologies promise efficiency and safety, critics view them as warrantless mass surveillance, posing significant constitutional concerns regarding privacy, accountability, and governmental limits in the digital era.

Michael Soyfer, an attorney at the Institute for Justice—a nonprofit focused on defending individual rights—specializes in Fourth Amendment issues and the increasing use of surveillance technologies by local governments. He joins the show with Kevin Ball to discuss the proliferation of Flock Safety cameras, the lawsuit against the City of Norfolk by the Institute for Justice, and the challenge decades-old legal precedents face in adapting to modern technology. The discussion also covers how citizens, technologists, and policymakers can safeguard privacy in an age of extensive data collection.

Kevin Ball, or KBall, is the vice president of engineering at Mento and an independent coach for engineers and engineering leaders. He co-founded and served as CTO for two companies, started the San Diego JavaScript meetup, and organizes the AI inaction discussion group through Latent Space.

Please click here to see the transcript of this episode.