Cameras watching us everywhere

I've seen some discussions here lately about personal freedoms. Here's one that was a big difference between the UK and US, but now is becoming less of a difference and more of a common ground.

Years ago I read all about the UK and their excessive use of cameras, and excessive number of "per capita" cameras...

Now, the US (at least in my state (NY)) is following suit. We have cameras everywhere. Some are just "police" cameras and are in bad areas and monitored by police personnel at all times. Others are "red-light" cameras, and take a snapshot as anyone goes through the intersection after the light turns, and others are simply "traffic" cameras, which are used to monitor traffic conditions and adjust the new "live" sign system on our highways.

The argument here goes something like this:
Side A:) This is an invasion of privacy, watching people without any probable cause to be doing so.
Side B:) If you are not doing anything wrong, what are you worried about? These cameras keep people on their best behavior and benefit all of us.


(Personally, this is one topic I have not been able to come to a decision about in my own mind. I have very mixed feelings. I guess I feel IF the cameras are only being used to go after active law breakers then OK...
But IF they start to use the technology to fine/ticket everyone into the poor house, then it constitutes as an infraction of freedom. (I.e. two cameras; one at point "a" and one at point "b" could be used to deduce that you were speeding from point "a" to point "b", but I feel unless you were actually spotted by Radar speeding, that using technology to make assumptions and ticket you is a definite breach of privacy))

I am interested in seeing how some of our friends across the pond feel about the big-brother situation with the cameras, and likewise I'm interested to hear some on our side sound-off about this modern phenomena of cameras in the US.

With all the cuts in government, these cameras have not been one of em around here. I suspect that is because they pay for themselves and then produce a profit rather quickly...
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-Dave #2


3.2.0-33

Until they brought in the new point to point cameras, I was pretty safe in that I knew where they all were, including the fools in blue who always used the same spots for the radar guns.

However, I do feel that many local authorities are using them as cash-cows. A good example is the B road from Market Harborough, through all the little villages to Melton Mowbray. That road is just too dangerous to speed as its contantly twisting & turning, yet this morning, after not travelling that road for the past 6 years, now have several speed cameras: -

Just cannot see any point to them, except as a blatant cash cow. Most parts of that road will force you to do 40mph or less, there is just no way to do higher speeds, & in some places, even 40mph is too high a speed.
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If Ive locked the door and turned on the radio at a high volume ... ;D

If there was a prohibition on more than one copy existing and a requirement for destruction after 30 days, with some teeth, say life no parole for violation, then perhaps it might be permissible. But the FBI/NSA/CIA would never agree to such a reasonable limit. It is important to them to build multi-decade dossiers on "dissidents" or Nixon style enemy lists.


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If Ive locked the door and turned on the radio at a high volume ... ;D

But it is easy to subtract a radio from the sound recording as they know exactly what was broadcast. (Was a lot harder before computer signal processing.)

Your right... I'll have to untune it so it produces just noise... LOL

EDIT: Im fried, modern receivers shut off the sound when there is no carrier detected :(

And if someone is taking measures to hide something, shouldn't that be enough for a judge to issue a wire tap order and to allow some unmarked vans in the public street to paint the windows with lasers in order to find out what that person is hiding?

How is it that whenever National/Local government do things to excess, that the ones complainng about that excess are labelled as "people with something to hide"?

Don't forget that this is all done by taxpayers cash!
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So what did you do on Black friday, did your wife/girl-friend drag you to the shops because she needed a beast-of-burden. If so were you observed by the Bionic Mannequins.

WP - Bionic mannequins spy on shoppers to aid sales

But isn't it realistic to believe that if the window to your home is wide open and a camera in a public place has a view, you're opening up your home to the public?

its good streaming.

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Something else to worry about.....

Minority Report arriving at a camera near you....
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Something else to worry about.....

Minority Report arriving at a camera near you....