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There are 1,300 AI-equipped cameras installed at San Diego State University — including 330 in dorms — but the university’s police department disputes concerns from students that the set up is an invasion of privacy.
A May 28 Daily Aztec article, “Is SDSU watching?” reported that over 1,300 Avigilon cameras were installed on SDSU’s campus in 2024. Through a public records request, the Aztec was able to confirm that over 330 cameras are installed within student residence halls.
The security system has 11 functions, including “object, license plate and facial recognition, object detection, intrusion detection, behavior analysis, crowd density analysis, environmental monitoring, audio detection, integration with other systems and visual alerts,” according to the company’s website.
A police department spokesperson told The College Fix the AI tracking and facial recognition features are not currently in use.
The department added it “would be highly irresponsible, from a safety, security and best practice standpoint, not to have security cameras in place throughout our campus community.”
The statement also argued the Aztec article was “a gross mischaracterization of a regular update to existing security cameras, which is critical in maintaining a safe campus environment and aiding in potential criminal investigations.”
“The software components of the cameras mean they now have the capability to alert when a camera is no longer providing security video, whether it is blocked intentionally or a result of a malfunction. Any inference that the ‘AI software’ available through the cameras would be used beyond that, or to track individuals, is wholly inaccurate,” the statement read.
One student told the Aztec that “I think that this monitoring is a heinous violation of students’ privacy.”
But SDSU Professor Peter Herman said it seems the bigger issue is miscommunication.
“My own take is that fears about privacy are overblown,” he told The Fix via email. “While the university could have done a better job of telling people about this upgrade and the reasons for it, I think these new cameras will only enhance student safety.”
“As for privacy, if you carry a cell phone, you are already being tracked, and with every site you visit deposits cookies. In other words, there is no privacy anymore.”
California State University, Northridge, has also reportedly installed the upgraded cameras.
The Aztec reported that campus policy states the video security cameras may not be installed to view “areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy, nor will they be directed or zoomed into the windows of any private residential building, including residence halls.”
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