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Rohnert Park council delays approval of attendance analytics contract after privacy concerns
Summary
Council pulled and ultimately voted to continue consideration of a vendor analytics contract (item 8H) after concerns about privacy and vendor origin. Staff said the vendor measures anonymized app pings and that users opt into tracking; the council voted 3–2 to carry the item to a future meeting for more information.
Rohnert Park City Council pulled item 8H from the consent calendar Oct. 22 to clarify how a proposed analytics vendor would measure park and event attendance and whether the vendor would collect personally identifiable data.
Council member Rodriguez said he was voting no on the item because the product "seemed a bit invasive" and because it was difficult to find information about how the system works and the company's headquarters. Community Services Director (identified in the record as Miss Bley) told the council the vendor measures anonymized app-usage pings and does not access individuals' phone addresses or home addresses; she explained users opt in or out through app-permission settings and the vendor aggregates app signals to estimate attendance.
Despite that explanation, several council members requested more information about privacy protections and the vendor's practices. A motion to continue the item to a future meeting for additional information passed on a roll-call vote, 3–2, with Council Members Rodriguez and Elward recorded as opposed.
Next steps: Staff will bring additional information to a future council meeting (privacy documentation, headquarters/contractor details and sample data reports) before the council considers authorizing the contract.
