Summary
On 17 November 2021, the Leiden University student paper Mare published an article revealing that the University had installed “smart” surveillance cameras capable of facial regonition, but also gender, race, and emotion recognition without publicly informing the staff nor the students of the university. As a response to the article, the university sent an email to all university staff and students, explaining that the cameras, installed over the last months, were set to the utmost level of privacy. They admitted to a mere “communication mistake”. The response of the university was however mared with inaccuracies, as revealed by both Mare and others, and failed to address the main concerns.
The students and staff thus mobilized, via a student/staff online petition [sign here], a letter to the dean [aritcle in Dutch] of the Faculty of Social Science and other similar initiatives. The first step was to ask questions to the university decision-makers about the cameras and the safeguards put in place to ensure privacy. In light of the unwillingness of the university to take these questions seriously, the demands shifted to demand the removal of the cameras.
On Tuesday 7 December afternoon, students and faculty of Leiden University gathered on the Cleveringaplaats in front of the University’s Lipsius building. The protest, which gathered approximately 100 students and staff. It was covered in national news by major outlets like the NOS, Nu.nl and the Volkskrant. A second protest is being organized for the 14th of December at 3:30 pm at the Wijnhaven building, part of Leiden University’s campus in the Hague.
Detailed Chronology
16 November 2021
An extremely vague Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page regarding the use of “classroom scanners” to count students is added to Leiden University’s staff website, in the announcements section. It is extremely vague. It consists of 10 questions and answers, the answers are all no more than 2 lines and the final question asking where the “scanners” are located is simply answered “in all teaching buildings and rooms”. The FAQ makes no mention of the “classroom scanners” as cameras. Instead the only mention of cameras is when they state that camera images are not recorded by the “classroom scanners”. It is conveniently uploaded the day before the Mare article is posted. Later on the 19th of November @EmielBeineima shares a twitter thread critiquing the FAQ and breaking down the absurdity and vagueness of the university’s answers.
17 November 2021
The student paper Mare published the first article about the university’s (not so) new surveillance cameras, written by Anoushka Kloosterman and Mark Reid. It was revealed that the cameras that have facial recognition and can detect age, gender and mood and have been up since mid 2020. This means that the cameras have been functioning for at least a year. The security of the university’s cyberspace is criticized for not being secure enough. And it is revealed that the university only notified the university council in october 2020 that they would switch to an “automated visitor management system”. The article also highlights the price of the cameras, over 350 cameras have been installed, costing 600 Euros each. The article was later shared into various student group chats. Students began to react with anger and slowly started planning what to do.
18 November 2021
A petition was started by Antonia, an IRO student. The petition outlines that the lack of communication between the University, students and staff is what deeply concerns everyone. The idea that the university spent so much money on these cameras while defunding CARE is highlighted. The use of funds should have been used better, to fund CARE or even fix a leak in the Wijnhaven lecture room ceiling. Students and staff are signatories and demand that the university take down the cameras and hold themselves accountable. Commenters on the petition make their opinions about the camera known and many are concerned that these cameras are an infringement onto their privacy.
22nd November 2021
A letter has been sent to Prof. Dr. Wouters the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, from staff that are concerned about the cameras, about 170 staff have signed the letter. Leiden University also sends a broadcast email to all students and staff. The email sent by the university attempts to justify the cameras and apologises for not communicating better with the rest of the university.
23rd November 2021
Unsee Us Leiden Protest was created by Joris Wiebes. The protest is scheduled for 7th of December at 1pm at the Lipsius campus in Leiden.
25th November 2021
Mare releases another article fact-checking the email that Leiden University sent out and found many contradictions and omissions. Posters for student info sessions about cameras are stuck up in Wijnhaven and taken down by security within 2 hours of being up.
29th November 2021
At 5:30pm students from the Hague Union of Students and other leiden students meet at Spanish steps in Wijnhaven campus to discuss the cameras, and try to inform other students. Students also start planning for a similar demonstration in Wijnhaven to take place on the 14th of December at 3:30 pm. While the students are discussing, the security are all conjugated at the entrance and at one point a police officer comes onto campus and talks to the security and then leaves. What is said is unknown to students but students are quite confused as to why a police officer would come onto campus at this time.
2nd December 2021
Graffiti has been spotted on the Lipsius building, the graffiti was also taken down within a few hours. Stickers have been stuck on the cameras and in Leiden Campuses. Even on the Heike Kamerlingh Onnes statue. Mare publishes another article relating to the stickers and the graffiti. They mention the letter sent by staff, they also discuss the student movements that have been set up.
7th December 2021
On Tuesday 7 December afternoon, students and faculty of Leiden University gathered on the Cleveringaplaats in front of the University’s Lipsius building. The protest, which gathered approximately 100 students and staff, lasted one hour, from 13:00 to 14:00. It was covered in national news by major outlets like the NOS, Nu.nl and the Volkskrant. A second protest is being organized for the 14th of December at 3:30 pm at the Wijnhaven building, part of Leiden University’s campus in the Hague.
8th December 2021
Following Leiden’s student protest, Utrecht University interrupts a smart camera pilot project. As reported by RTV Utrecht, “Utrecht University has stopped a trial with cameras that count how many people are in lecture halls and the university library. The institution is doing this after students at Leiden University protested against similar cameras.” Article here [In Dutch]
9 December 2021
First victory of the movement! Leiden University’s Executive board announcs it has decided to temporarily disable the surveillance cameras, as a direct result of the mobilization campaign by students and staff. The news is reported in Mare as well as Volkskrant, both outlets who had previously reported on the protest.
14 December 2021
Hundreds of students gathered for the second time, this time in the Wijnhaven building of Leiden University in the Hague. Although the university has decided to turn off the cameras for the moment, the organizers explained to a numerous crowd why it was important to remain mobilized: the university can still decide to turn the cameras on. Several speakers called for a broader debate about surveillance technologies in the university, and called for a debate about what kind of community does the university want to be. The protest was again covered by a large number of local and national media organizations, including NOS and Mare.