"In what is the most detailed article about license-plate scanners that I've seen to-date, Ars Technica starts with a report on how up-scale Tiburon, California, scans every car that transits the two roads into town, and then discusses the legal ramifications and potential risks of the technology. It's really an excellent piece and well worth a read to gain a good grasp of where we're likely to go as plate scanners pop up hither and yon, and what that's likely to mean for our privacy in terms of enhanced law-enforcement, government intrusions and abuses.".................
Reminds me of the small town I used to live. If any stranger entered town, everybody knew in a couple hours and people would be watching him for the duration.
I came back to town unannounced after 15 years and they knew who I was right off.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
The city of Abu Dhabi has the world's most sophisticated traffic monitoring system.
They have cameras every 600 feet --- which can read license plates, and even check for cell phone usage inside the car. AND - it's all controlled by the Ministry of Interior (that would not be the tree and parks officials).
FredHayek wrote: Reminds me of the small town I used to live. If any stranger entered town, everybody knew in a couple hours and people would be watching him for the duration.
I came back to town unannounced after 15 years and they knew who I was right off.
Do you remember the Andy Griffith episode where the stranger came into town and knew everybody but nobody knew him. Everybody was watching him suspiciously, as you describe. At the end of the show, the town was ready to forcibly throw him out and Andy intervened.
Turned out the guy had been in the Army with Gomer and had read every issue of the Mayberry Gazette that was mailed to Gomer. He remembered all the names of the locals and what was going on in town from the newspaper.
The town I grew up in was so small the town prostitute was a virgin.
Still subscribe to the local paper just to keep up. They need to hire a better proofreader.
Back on topic, I don't fear cameras, with all the info coming in, they can't be monitored, so they are essentially used to collect evidence after the crime is commited.
So 99% of that footage will never be seen.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
