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Axon maintains that it doesn’t own or watch footage, which instead goes directly to the department. However, civil rights advocates are concerned that it might still use the shots for profit, or for things other than the direct case at hand (such as building biometric databases). And what happens if the footage concerns police abuses. Shouldn’t it go to an independent body? Even if Axon lives up to its promise not to watch footage, it’s not going to be completely neutral ground.
There’s also the question of whether or not it’s wise to encourage crowdsourcing for criminal evidence. Axon says its effort isn’t a “fishing expedition,” so your neighbor can’t use this to snitch on your littering habit. This is aimed at specific crimes where there’s already a case. However, there’s a worry that this may spur people to take unnecessary risks, such as doing things that expose them to immediate danger or intimidation. This could help police land convictions they might not otherwise get, but there are plenty of opportunities for unintended consequences.
