'Cact-Eye' Reading Plates Indiscriminately

"Charlie Zulu" (VeniVidiHooni) 05/07/2015 at 20:04 • Filed to: None

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A colleague passed this on today. Local news report a fleet/gaggle/school (or whatever a group of multiple cacti together is called) of camera-wielding faux cacti being assembled and installed in Paradise Valley, Ariz. According to city officials, the majestic xeriscape inhabitants are being outfitted with licence plate readers to catch bad guys.

Outside of the decidedly Owellian implications of the use of such devices, there were some notable quotes in the story.

“I’ve lived here for 30 years, and I’ve never seen cameras in a saguaro before.”

-Randy Evans, resident

and

“There were these guys on ladders, these were 3 1/2 foot ladders, and they work working on the top of the cactus, putting the cactus together, a fake cactus.” [sic]

-Susanne Chamberlain, another resident

Naturally, I’d be happy if a watchful cact-eye aided in the recovery of my (hypothetical) stolen vehicle, but the broader opportunity for violation of privacy is not awesome. That being said, it could be argued that the use of public roads should be accompanied by an implicit consent to, or expectation of less privacy. Esteemed members of the National Chemtrail Abatement Society will, very likely, make much more of this, and we tip our collective tin foil hats to them.

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thebigbossyboss > Charlie Zulu 05/07/2015 at 20:21

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Urg. Call me tin foil hat if you will but I think this is a waste of money and a needless though probably constitutional invasion of privacy. Yes people out in a public place don't have a right to privacy but that does not mean every type of shubbery imaginable should be fitted with a camera

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Charlie Zulu 05/07/2015 at 20:26

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This seems relevant.

ThisDave > thebigbossyboss 05/07/2015 at 21:05

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I’m ok with the joke about the “tinfoil hat” people, as long as I see the article apologizing in a year when it is used for anything and everything. Or will it be the old “Well, that’s not a big deal” moving of the goalposts?

Charlie Zulu > thebigbossyboss 05/08/2015 at 11:37

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I really only dropped the tin foil hat comment in there for the sake of entertainment. It’s actually a pretty nasty way to marginalize anyone who vocalized opposition to an overreaching government. I watched Citizenfour attentively, and a lot of this ‘paranoia’ is justified, because the overreaching is actually happening. And it’s grave. Case in point, a federal appeals court just ruled the NSA phone metadata collection program illegal. Now that is not a rebuke of domestic spying programs by some caricature-worthy, largely imagined fringe group; it comes from a federal judge. (Cc @ThisDave for this note)

Charlie Zulu > Charlie Zulu 05/08/2015 at 11:38

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Kinja/mod novice question: I don’t see a way to approve @ThisDave’s comment. Is that a privilege someone else needs to bestow on you?

Charlie Zulu > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 05/08/2015 at 11:39

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So good. So relevant. Masterful contribution.

thebigbossyboss > Charlie Zulu 05/08/2015 at 11:42

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I agree, I am not comfortable with the level of surveillance that goes on, the us is especially egregious. Europe is a lot better here in canada we are somewhere between the two.