In Sacramento, a mass surveillance scheme involving the misuse of smart meter data has been in operation for years, violating the privacy rights of energy customers. The Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) has transmitted customer energy data to law enforcement, focusing on those with high electricity usage to find illegal cannabis growing operations. However, a significant drop in the threshold of suspicion has occurred, and Asian customers have faced targeted accusations based on their electricity usage, leading to a lawsuit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation to stop these practices.
Sacramento's power company and law enforcement have been running an illegal mass surveillance scheme for years, using power meters as home-mounted spies.
The threshold of suspicion for high energy usage has dropped from 7,000 kWh in 2014 to just 2,800 kWh in 2023.
This scheme has targeted Asian customers, leading to letters from Sacramento police addressing households with above-average electricity use.
EFF and Vallejo, Antolin, Agarwal, Kanter LLP have sued SMUD and the City of Sacramento for this invasive surveillance practice.
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