September 4, 2025
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host its annual Constitution Day Lecture at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, in Murdock Hall, Room 218.
This year’s presentation, titled “Surveillance, Police, and Big Tech: Lessons from Baltimore,” will be delivered by Dr. Ben Snyder, associate professor of sociology at Williams College. Snyder’s talk will focus on a 2020 partnership between Baltimore police and a technology startup to deploy aerial surveillance planes designed to reduce gun violence. Equipped with high-powered cameras, the planes recorded the movements of every person in public view across the city.
Drawing from direct observations of homicide cases, Snyder will examine how the program operated, why it largely failed, and the broader consequences of such for-profit surveillance initiatives on constitutional rights.
Snyder has taught at Williams College since 2018 and tells unique stories about how technology is shaping society from the perspective of everyday people. He is the author of two books: “Spy Plane: Inside Baltimore's Surveillance Experiment” and “The Disrupted Workplace: Time and the Moral Order of Flexible Capitalism.” He has also published numerous scholarly and popular pieces based on immersive investigations of difficult-to-reach populations, from long-haul truck drivers to hedge fund traders to surveillance analysts.
Constitution Day was established as a federal holiday in 2004 and first celebrated in 2005, recognizing the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, in Philadelphia.
The Constitution Day Lecture is free and open to the public and is made possible by MCLA’s Department of History and Political Science.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we’re here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive on every level of their lives. In every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully empowered to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 130-year commitment to public education, we have fortified our dedication to equitable academic excellence. MCLA has appeared on U.S. News & World Report’s list of Top Ten Public Colleges for 10 consecutive years, earning the No. 6 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts Schools in the nation for 2025, after earning the No. 7 spot the prior three years. The College’s focus on affordable education and economic prosperity is reflected in additional 2025 U.S. News rankings: No. 5 for Top Performer on Social Mobility for liberal arts colleges in the state and No. 2 for Top Performer on Social Mobility for public liberal arts colleges in the country. These rankings measure how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants.
