Bend Privacy Alliance will host “Surveillance in Our Community,” a free public education event on Wednesday, August 19, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Central Library in Bend.
The community conversation will examine the growing use of surveillance and data-collection technologies by government agencies, businesses, and other institutions. Participants will learn what these systems can collect, how information may be stored and shared, and what safeguards can help protect privacy and civil liberties.
Topics will include automated license plate readers, camera and sensor networks, facial recognition, artificial intelligence, retail surveillance, data sharing, public records, and the physical data-center infrastructure that supports modern surveillance systems.
The event is being held during the ALPR National Week of Action, a nationwide effort encouraging communities to learn more about automated license plate readers and advocate for transparency, accountability, data limitations, and meaningful public oversight.
“Surveillance technologies can affect everyone in a community, even when most residents have never been told that the systems are operating,” said Jonathan Westmoreland of Bend Privacy Alliance. “This event is intended to give people clear, accessible information and create space for thoughtful discussion about what responsible technology policy should look like in Bend.”
The presentation will explain how individual observations can be combined into detailed records of people’s movements, associations, routines, and activities. It will also explore how locally collected information can travel through vendor networks, regional databases, government partnerships, and other data-sharing systems.
Organizers emphasize that the event is intended as a community education and discussion forum rather than a partisan gathering.
“Privacy, transparency, and accountable government are community issues,” Westmoreland said. “People should have an opportunity to understand the technology being used around them, ask questions, and participate in decisions before surveillance systems become permanent parts of public life.”
A facilitated discussion will follow the presentation. Attendees will be encouraged to share questions, concerns, and ideas for improving transparency and oversight in Central Oregon.
EVENT DETAILS
Surveillance in Our Community: A Community Conversation
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
5:00–7:00 p.m.
Central Library, Community 1
61956 SE Santorini St.
Bend, OR 97702
The event is free and open to the public.
This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.
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