Montreal police are using AI tools to track people and vehicles, which raises questions about transparency and privacy.

A powerful camera was seen on a lamp post in Montreal's Rivière-des-Prairies neighborhood.

The camera was taken down after a news article was published about it.

The camera is a Cloudrunner CR-H2 made by Genetec, a company based in Montreal.

The system can do more than just scan license plates, like the Flock Safety cameras in the US.

It also captures and stores information about the vehicle, such as its color, make, and model.

The collected information is managed by the operator, not shared in a central database like Flock cameras in the US. The system is used to help investigators. The information is stored securely.

A police spokesperson said the images are only used by investigators working on specific cases.

The camera was removed to protect ongoing investigations, according to the spokesperson.

Privacy advocates say the police have not been transparent about using this new technology.

Montreal police are using AI to help with investigations, which is raising concerns about civil liberties.

A human rights group spokesperson said the police need to inform the public about the technology they use without compromising their work.

The spokesperson asked what procedures are in place, not what the police are doing in detail.

The spokesperson said investigative techniques are getting more invasive and need more oversight to protect Charter rights. They also said technology is making things more invasive.

The use of Cloudrunner cameras is part of a bigger push by the police into AI technology.

The police are using iMotion ROC AI software, developed by Rank One Computing.

The software helps investigators look through a lot of video, but does not use facial recognition or biometric capabilities, according to the police.

The software is used to identify video passages where a targeted element appears, not to verify identities.

The system operates on a closed network, not connected to external databases.

The software analyzes footage from security cameras and private surveillance video collected by officers.

An American AI company lost an appeal in a BC court about facial recognition services.

The Edmonton Police Service is testing facial recognition bodycams with a US company.

A privacy impact assessment by the police acknowledges the technology poses civil liberties risks, including putting innocent people under investigation and discrimination.

The assessment says the risk of discrimination is reduced because the software searches for objects, not identifiable traits.

The police initially did not confirm the use of the Cloudrunner camera, but later admitted to it.

The police chief initially said he had no knowledge of the device, but later clarified his comments.

The chief said the device was being used to target armed violence and vehicle thefts.

A human rights spokesperson said it was striking that the chief did not seem to know about the technology.

The spokesperson said new investigative tools should be used under the supervision of leading staff to protect people's private information.

Public records show that Montreal awarded a contract to Genetec for four Cloudrunner units.

More cameras could be added depending on the needs of investigations, according to the police.

A Genetec vice-president said the technology is designed to respect people's privacy and logs every interaction with the data.

The vice-president said there is a trade-off between privacy and safety, and the community needs to decide what it is comfortable with.

A City of Montreal spokesperson said the city did not install the Cloudrunner camera and referred questions to the police.

The Montreal mayor championed a voluntary security camera registry during the election campaign.

In Quebec, video surveillance in public spaces must address a legitimate objective and only collect necessary images.