How Police Tracked Energy Consumption for Decades to Find Cannabis Growers

A scandal has erupted in California over the mass collection of electricity usage data. For years, Sacramento police, in collaboration with the power company SMUD, tracked “suspiciously high” electricity usage to detect illegal marijuana plantations. But an EFF investigation has found racial discrimination and privacy violations.

The story began more than a decade ago. Sacramento police received massive lists from SMUD of customers with “abnormally high” energy usage — most often in ZIP codes with Asian populations. The target was marijuana growers who use a lot of electricity for their lights. But the method turned out to be too crude.

More than 33,000 reports were reported to the police. People received letters threatening arrest, not even suspecting that the cause was air conditioning in the heat or large houses. In court documents, SMUD analysts specifically cited “4k, Asian” or “multiple Asians” as grounds for suspicion.

California law protects the privacy of energy users. Without a warrant or clear legal justification, the transfer of such data is considered illegal. Despite this, SMUD provided the police with complete smart meter data.

The EFF, together with the Asian American Liberation Network, filed a lawsuit demanding an end to “mass surveillance” of energy consumption.

The case exposes not only legal gaps in data management, but also the problem of racial profiling in the digital age. Mass surveillance under the pretext of “fighting cannabis” could set a precedent — but is already causing a strong reaction from human rights activists.