I find it ironic that in the US, there's this social movement against Flock cameras - which have shown real results in tracking down criminals - while everyone walks around all the time with a personal tracking device in the form of a smart phone. That's wayyyy more invasive than cameras along roads.
Phone data requires some actual process to access. It should be more restrictive than it is, but I don’t believe the information is made available to random police officers who can search for whatever they want with no real justification.
The problem with Flock isn’t the cameras, it’s the system built on them that gives panopticon powers to any random law enforcement officer.
No argument with that, agreed.
Stop posting this bullshit argument. the people arguing against Flock are the same people who argue for privacy rights around cellular phone data, availability of encrypted messaging etc. It's thanks to them that the government still needs to get a warrant instead of just doing a search.
Anyone making this argument of yours is also smart enough to be aware of the privacy efforts. Pretending not to know about them is bullshit.
Or uh yeah they're just cameras on public roads, and provide a net benefit to society. I'm sure you weren't triggered by these cameras a few years ago, when it wasn't part of the current "thing to be mad about".
Don’t be That Guy please. This tired talking point gets walked out in every privacy discussion. Both things can be (and are) bad at once, but just because one problem exists doesn’t mean that others aren’t worth solving.
In any case this article is about the whole spectrum of mass surveillance, not one specific company.
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You are wildly optimistic about police priorities and effectiveness, with or without flock cameras, when it comes to property crime.
Way to hand wave away all the negative effects of mass surveillance. Car theft is bad, but sleepwalking into dictatorship is worse.
There’s also plenty of options for solving car theft that aren’t dystopian.
Your phone in your pocket is a much more powerful surveillance device. That's my point, it's just pure hivemind to freak out about traffic cameras.
I find it pretty dystopian that CVS has to lock up cheap products because society has failed to punish criminals.
CVS has to lock up products because society has failed to reward hard working people with a living wage.
Claiming a society exists while at the same time claiming "fuck you, i got mine", isn't so much a society as "every person for themselves", which, ironically is what you're actually complaining about.
Okay comrade. It's society's fault when people start committing petty thefts even though unemployment is low.
You could read up on what "unemployment" actually means. Labor force participation is down on the year. 4.4 million people are underemployed: meaning they want a full time job but can't get one - they still show up as "employed". The "employment" rate ignores those who have been unable to find work for more than four weeks, conveniently. Then there's employment by region. There may be good jobs on the other side of the country, but no means to get there, or no qualifications. etc etc.
You are quite good at making nice little sound-bites that don't hold up to scrutiny. Are you part of the propaganda or just an ignoramus who parrots it?
I don’t carry a phone most of the time, it stays at home, and I don’t have a Google/Apple duopoly device either.
I don’t drive a modern car with built in cell tracking.
I don’t use “smart devices” in my home.
I’m opposed to mass surveillance in all forms.
* slowly backs away *
Lol. I walk the walk so I can talk the talk.
I find it amusing. Your complaint seems to be that people aren’t really against mass surveillance because they accept it in other areas (even though dumbphone sales are going crazy, showing that many people do care). Then you’re presented with someone who’s done the difficult work to have reasonable privacy, and your reaction is to pretend that the privacy guy is “cringe” or “scary” or something.
It’s almost like you don’t believe your own arguments, and you’re actually just hostile towards the concept of privacy in general. You’re making arguments in bad faith because you actually want a panopticon.
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Oh sorry to disturb the hivemind