
Concertgoers  at last year’s annual Boston Calling music festivals weren’t just there  to watch the show — they were watched themselves as test subjects for  Boston police’ new facial recognition technology, which reportedly  analyzed every attendee at the May and September two-day events.
 
 Employees at IBM — the outside contractor involved in deploying  the tech alongside Boston Police — planned the test of its Smart  Surveillance System and Intelligent Video Analytics to execute “face  capture” on “every person” at the concerts in 2013. Targets were  reportedly described “as anyone who walks through the door,” according  to company memos obtained by Dig Boston.
 
 Using 10 cameras capable of intelligent video analysis, police and  IBM captured thousands of faces and scanned individuals for details  including skin color, height and clothing to screen for possible  forensic identification. The tech also watched traffic and crowd  congestion, searched for suspicious objects and monitored social media  in real-time.
 
 Attendees and promoters were wholly unaware of the test, which was  conducted amid a slew of media and photographers regularly in  attendance and during a public event where the expectation of privacy is  at a minimum. Sensitive documents detailing the program were found  unsecured online, where they’ve reportedly been accessible for more than  a year.
 
 The images, video and information obtained by the program will be  kept for months and years — even after the sorting process deems it  irrelevant — and more than 50 hours of video footage from the events are  still intact, according to the report.
 
 Other data stored online by Boston police in unsecured servers  include drivers’ licenses, addresses, parking permit information and  more.
 
 Boston PD initially denied any involvement in the programs’  deployment on May 25-26 and Sept. 7-8 at City Hall Plaza, stating in an  email from a representative that “BPD was not part of this initiative.”
 
 “We do not and have not used or possess this type of technology,” the department wrote to Dig.
 
 Files on the program uncovered online include photographic  evidence showing Boston PD present inside IBM’s program monitoring  stations and receiving instruction on how to use the tech. When  presented with this evidence, Boston officials admitted the city’s  direct involvement.
 
 “The city of Boston engaged in a pilot program with IBM, testing  situational awareness software for two events hosted on City Hall Plaza:  Boston Calling in May 2013, and Boston Calling in September 2013,”  Boston Mayor Marty Walsh press secretary Kate Norton wrote in an email  to the publication.
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