At least six special districts have installed these camera networks, the largest of which belongs to the Union Square BID. These camera networks are managed by staff within the neighborhood and streamed to a local control room, but footage can be shared with other entities, including individuals and law enforcement, with little oversight. In 2012, cryptocurrency mogul Chris Larsen started providing money for what would eventually be $4 million worth of cameras deployed by businesses within the special assessment districts. However, in this case, the cameras were driven by one particular private citizen working with these districts. While they are run by private non-profits, they are funded with public money and carry out public services. These organizations are quasi-government agencies that act with state authority to collect taxes and provide services such as street cleaning. Union Square BID is only one of several special assessment districts in San Francisco that have begun deploying these cameras. These unregulated camera networks pose huge threats to civil liberties
Motorola Solutions recently unveiled plans to expand its portfolio of tools for aiding public-private partnerships with law enforcement by making it easier for police to gain access to private cameras and video analytic tools like license plate readers.
These networked cameras, manufactured by Motorola Solutions' brand Avigilon, are high definition, can zoom in on a person's face to capture face-recognition ready images, and are linked to a software system that can automatically analyze content, including distinguishing between when a car or a person passes within the frame. The camera network is operated by the Union Square Business Improvement District (BID), a special taxation district created by the City and County of San Francisco, but operated by a private non-profit organization. The records show that SFPD received real-time live access to hundreds of cameras as well as a "data dump" of camera footage amid the ongoing demonstrations against police violence.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) conducted mass surveillance of protesters at the end of May and in early June using a downtown business district's camera network, according to new records obtained by EFF.