[OP]
Contributor
Saw a link to an article about the area I used to call home.
https://www.grandviewindependent.com...plate-readers/
License Plate Readers.jpg
Right next door the City of San Pablo has even more readers installed. That is the city next to the unincorporated area of my old residence.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
Local police just installed them here.Originally Posted by Jim Koepke
"Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
- Rick Dale
Contributor
I don't have any problem with them. If you go to London, you'll be seen by a lot of those kind of cameras.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
There are big privacy issues with these devices! All of this information is stored for "future use" whatever that may be.
Contributor
I remember visiting friends up in Maryland near D.C. and they had these ten years or so ago. There was no pushing red lights. Cars slammed on brakes when a light turned yellow.
The same sort of reaction in speed zones. Most were driving a mile or two an hour under the speed limit.
Contributor
To quote the late John Prine:
"We are living in the future,
I tell you how I know.
I read it in the paper
fifteen years ago.
We're all driving rocket ships,
talking with our minds,
wearing turquoise jewelry,
and standing in soup lines."
[OP]
Contributor
In one respect it might be available as an alibi if a person is ever alleged to have been in one place when a traffic cam can put them in another.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Very commonly used to substantiate or invalidate an alibi on TV detective shows.
Contributor
Yeah I got caught and to the tune of $120, Hannibal, MO. The big issue I see, the ticket goes to the Owner of the car... not the Driver!
Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10
Contributor
Cameras used to issue traffic violations are wildly unpopular among citizenry where they are used. As Bill points out the ticket is issue to the owner not the driver. Also, AFAIK the systems are owned or at least administered by private companies. Their goal of course being to maximize profits. The result being a lot of boarder line if not totally unwarranted citations. They often got removed due to citizen protest. A few years back the town I call home tried to implement this. It was never implemented due to citizen protest.
My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities
The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson
[OP]
Contributor
That is one reason to not let anyone else drive my truck. I might make an exceptions for family.
We did have school zone speed cameras here. The public complained about sometimes not getting a ticket for 90 days. The cameras were removed. We still have red light cameras at various intersections in the city attached to my zip code. The adjoining city doesn't use them.
Longview and Kelso intertwine in areas. There has been talks of merging the two cities. But of course that would mean half of the bureaucrats could lose their job.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
What are the privacy issues? The fact that you were in a certain public place at a certain time doesn't seem to be much of a threat. Your smartphone tracks you and no one seems to make a big issue about that. And your smartphone tracks you everywhere - in non-public places as well as public places.
In any case, if you read the article, it said that the data is purged after a reasonable time.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Contributor
If you are worried about privacy issues you will likely be surprised to learn many retail establishments use facial recognition with their security cameras to keep track of people.
Even some major grocery chains use them to help weed out their "regular shoplifters."
Target, Home Depot and Lowes have also used these systems in the past.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Friend of the Creek
Saves police time, so they can concentrate on more important things than traffic stops. I think they are wonderful and should be installed everywhere.
Regards,
Tom
Member
In a private establishment/business is one thing...in a public place is another. My Wi-Fi gets turned off when I leave my home. My bluetooth is always off unless there is short term need and then it is turned off immediately after use. I don't have any social media apps on any of my devices. My location data is turned off both on the phone and within any app. If they have security cameras to track me, I can't control that, but I'm not going to allow them to use my phone to help them.
If someone gets a judge to issue a warrant for my phone records, the phone company can give them my approximate location at a given time via triangulation with various towers assuming my phone is powered on. However, they have to have a good reason for the request.
What is a "reasonable amount of time" for the data to be maintained and who decides what is reasonable? What is a reasonable amount of time today may be different tomorrow with such vague language.
We need a real legal framework to guide the use of personal data. A good first step would be something like HIPPA protections where there is a legal repsonsibility not to share the data unless permitted to do so for claim purposes, etc., or as explicitly permitted by the consumer. Europe is taking the lead on the issue of personal privacy and at least they are doing something unlike people from both parties in our current government.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote