O'Fallon council approves Placer AI subscription after public privacy concerns

The O'Fallon City Council on Nov. 17 approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a yearly subscription with Placer Labs Inc. for Placer AI, a service that provides foot-traffic and visitation analytics.

The approval followed a public comment from Stephanie Craft Shealy (Ward 3), who urged the council to pause before continuing the subscription and pressed for clear limits and auditability. “The kind of location data that Placer AI relies on can reveal people’s movements and associations,” she said, adding that guardrails for purpose, access, retention and transparency “have never been articulated at all” and that congressional inquiries into Placer AI raise unanswered questions about re-identification.

Councilmember John Carney (speaking during the item) said he would vote yes but asked to see the contract before approving, citing transparency concerns. City staff member Grant responded that the city receives only “aggregate data based on subgroup analytics,” describing the product as a packaged report (for example, estimating attendance at an event) rather than raw individual-location records and saying the city does not receive names or identifying characteristics.

After discussion, the council voted on the resolution by roll call; the mayor announced the motion carried with three no votes recorded. The council did not adopt additional privacy policies or restrictions on use during the meeting; council members and members of the public said they want additional review and access to the contract language.

The contract before the council was described by staff as an amendment for the city's second year with an increased price; staff said demonstrations of the product are available to council members on request. The item will remain on the council's actions list and staff said they will provide contract copies to any member who requests them.