‘This vendor needs to go’: Cybersecurity engineer warns Seattle’s camera system is one merger away from a nationwide dragnet

A cybersecurity engineer warned that Seattle’s surveillance camera system, operated by vendor Axon, poses privacy and security risks that could affect residents across the region. Noah Williams of the Community Not Cameras coalition told KIRO Newsradio that the system’s cloud-based architecture creates vulnerabilities allowing federal agencies to access footage without the city’s knowledge, and risks consolidation into larger surveillance networks through corporate mergers. He pointed to King County Metro’s locally-controlled bus cameras as a safer model.