Row over ‘virtual gated community’ AI surveillance plan in Toronto neighbourhood
A row has broken out in one of Canada’s wealthiest neighbourhoods over plans to use an AI-powered surveillance system to create the country’s first “virtual gated community” to combat surging property crime.
Crime rates in Toronto as a whole are dropping but residents of Rosedale have been left on edge by a sustained rise in home invasions, with robbers targeting the tree-lined neighbourhood at a rate more than double the city average. Break-ins and thefts remain the third highest per capita in Toronto.
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Shaken by break-ins, an affluent Toronto neighbourhood takes action
The squad of private security cars fans out after nightfall, their little rooftop lights flashing yellow against the historic homes and manicured hedges of Rosedale. Their drivers patrol the streets slowly, stopping to inspect parked cars and following any suspicious drivers.
Other unmarked security vehicles idle nearby, their drivers wearing bulletproof vests under their shirts, ready to respond to break-ins in six minutes or less.
Inside those graceful homes, residents have prepared crude fortifications: door braces, newly installed alarms, hammer-proof glass.
h/t Patti Jo
