Privacy and civil rights groups warn against rapidly growing mass-surveillance network

Fusus is a surveillance platform integrating public and private cameras into an accessible, cloud-based surveillance network. Law enforcement organizations tout the technology as an essential expansion of monitoring capabilities by creating a real-time crime lab. However, privacy advocates and civil rights watchdogs see it as a threat to the Fourth Amendment and a high-risk cybersecurity target full of personally identifiable information.

Fusus is designed to provide law enforcement organizations (LEO) and other public safety institutions access to accurate, relevant information via a cloud-based network of authorized video monitoring assets. The company claims the platform “enhances all public safety and investigations assets for law enforcement, first responders, and private security personnel.” The system began rolling out in several small participating cities and organizations in 2019, later expanding to a footprint of more than 33,000 supported cameras in more than 60 cities and counties nationwide.

Law enforcement and public safety professionals say the system gives them much-needed access to real-time incidents, allowing faster response times and decreased criminal activity without risking the safety of local contributors. For example, businesses and other organizations regularly receiving requests to review video footage for investigative purposes can choose to deploy specific hardware devices, known as FususCores, to their network. Once deployed, these devices make it possible to include the owner’s cameras in the area’s more extensive Fusus network.