A power utility is reporting suspected pot growers to cops. EFF says that’s illegal.
1 min read
Summary
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in California has been accused of violating customers’ privacy rights by monitoring electricity usage patterns and reporting those with what it believes to be suspiciously high usage to the police as potential illegal cannabis growers.
Utility analysts examine customer data in 15-minute intervals and share their findings with law enforcement, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which is seeking a court order to block the practise.
The group claims that SMUD’s actions are tantamount to a digital door-to-door search and violate customers’ rights to privacy in their homes.
The EFF provided examples of cases in which SMUD’s information was inaccurate, including a crypto miner and a customer with a spinal injury requiring an electric wheelchair who was reportedly accused of cannabis cultivation.
SMUD, which called the disclosures “an essential tool in combating illegal grows”, said it does not comment on ongoing litigation.
