The case against predictive policing - Tech Monitor

In August 2019, lobbyist Bryan Smith told a board of Utah's police chiefs, municipal officials and emergency responders that his company, Banjo, could provide them new insights on where crime was occurring in real time. To be sure, that would require running huge data flows through its proprietary algorithm – CCTV camera feeds, 911 calls, emergency vehicle locations – but Banjo would achieve this without endangering the personal privacy of anyone caught up in this new surveillance dragnet. Armed with a contract allowing Banjo to operate in every county in Utah, by January 2020 the company began to receive data flows from around 70 municipalities, the state's Highway Patrol, and Department of Public Safety. Any optimism among lawmakers as to Banjo's effectiveness, however, was short-lived. In May of that year, the company's CEO resigned after his past as a white supremacist was exposed, prompting the suspension of its contract with the state of Utah and an audit into its practices.