From: cspiess@ieee.org
To: Commission-Public-Records
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Commission meeting on July 14th (tomorrow)
Date: Monday, July 13, 2020 5:17:06 PM
Attachments: image001.png
Thank you!
I wanted to pass along my public comment that I'll be giving tomorrow over the phone, in case
it is helpful for Commissioners to have a written copy as well.
-------------------
My comments are regarding agenda items 7a & 9b.
Thank you for heeding some of my prior feedback regarding draft Motion 2020-15 items 4g
and 4h. However, the Executive Director’s moratorium on police use of facial recognition
technology is not sufficient. The Commission should explicitly ban the use of facial
recognition technology by both the Port of Seattle Police Department and private security
firms contracted by either the Port or Port tenants. Additionally the Commission should
reverse the decision to work with CBP to build a face surveillance system.
Per agenda item 9b materials, the Port is facing a significant decline in revenue. The
Commission should rescind its approval given on March 10th, 2020, to fund a Biometric Air
Exit system at a cost of $5,715,000. This is not required to be funded by the Port; and the Port
gains no meaningful improvements or control by executing the technology themselves, which
threat modeling would have shown you. Instead of funding mass surveillance, the
Commission should focus on areas that improve tangible quality of life improvements, such as
the Noise Mitigation Acceleration Proposal approved by the Commission as Motion 2020-04,
which will likely not receive full FAA AIP Grant funding to cover its costs. It seems
straightforward that addressing the sound insulation needs at homes and schools of Sea-Tac
airport neighbors is more important than aiding and abetting CBP in gathering mug shots of
innocent travelers.
Additionally, the Port is being steamrolled by CBP. At the Commission meeting on December
10th, 2019, at timestamp 1:31:40, Port staff said "In terms of CBP, they were very clear in the
October meeting that they don't believe they have authority as it relates to departing
International passengers, that is our facility, that is an area we have control over." By funding
and building a Biometric Air Exit system, the Port is helping CBP go outside their jurisdiction
to conduct surveillance.
Please ban the use of Biometrics for Public-Facing Law Enforcement & Security Functions.
Additionally please rescind the approval to fund a Biometric Air Exit system.
Thank you,
-Cynthia Spiess
an independent security researcher and Seattle resident
-------------------
On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 8:58 PM Commission-Public-Records <commission-public-
records@portseattle.org> wrote:
Thank you for signing up to give public comment via Skype at the July 14, 2020, Port of
Seattle Commission meeting.
Join us via your mobile or laptop device on Skype or call into the number provided below at
11:45 a.m. PST on Tuesday July 14, 2020 in order to be marked present and ready to speak.
A member of port staff will join the call to take a roll call of the names we have listed and
go over the procedure. Please plan to call from a location with as little background noise as
possible.
You should expect to be on the line for between 30-60 minutes as we dispose of preliminary
business on the agenda and we hear from other public commenters. While it’s not possible
for us to predict how many people will comment on July 14, we expect individual comment
time to be limited to two minutes and all rules of order and decorum will apply as usual.
If you have any questions please let us know. We appreciate your dedication to public health
and your interest in participating in the Port of Seattle Commission meeting.
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From: cspiess@ieee.org
<cspiess@ieee.org>
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2020 1:48 PM
To: Commission-Public-Records <commission-public-records@portseattle.org>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Commission meeting on July 14th (tomorrow)
WARNING: This is an external email. Do not click on links or open attachments unless you recognize the
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Hi Commission Clerk,
I would like to provide public comment over the phone for the Commission meeting
tomorrow regarding agenda items 7a & 9b.
Thanks,
-Cynthia Spiess
