Similar approaches for license plate concealment aren't working out. Newer systems flag vehicles without plates for additional attention. Some recognize make, model, color, accessories, etc.[1][2]
Or sufficient adoption will make governments adopt a quite cheap (and even potentially profitable) solution: make obfuscation through such means illegal and subject to fine.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a liberal reading of existing laws in many US states might over this already.
Yep. It's similar to people who count on crypto to solve government interference in finance.
You can't solve a culture of pervasive government surveillance by inventing new tech, because that tech will just be outlawed or regulated to death (see the UK online safety bill). You have to change the culture that makes governments think they have the right to see everything.
Regulation can be made very broad and up to interpretation by judges though.
You could setup something like "Circumvention of facial recognition using dedicated technical devices at demonstrations is considered disguising at a demonstration and follows the same laws" in germany.
And sure, this would result in a lot of lawsuits, discussions, escalations through different courts while the regulation is being tested - and it might be struck down entirely - but it would stand for a while and strike down _all_ workarounds.
Sure, a few people will always do that, skirting the borders of the law. But I don't want a situation where 99% of the population is constantly surveilled while 1% finds workarounds. I want to solve the problem, I want surveillance to die in the mainstream, and in this space new regulation moves faster than mainstream adoption of new tech.
Well I don't know if you would consider France a free country or not, but it is illegal to hide your face in public space in France (unless it's for medical reasons or for a special event and so on). So I guess hiding your face from the face recognition system would be also illegal.
People who obscure their license plates should have their cars impounded and licenses revoked. If you don't think traffic enforcement applies to you, you're welcome to use transit, walk or bike.
Maybe people don’t want their movement tracked and stored in a database. Any officer can clock their speed with a radar gun or give them a ticket for violating any of the hundreds of laws in the motor vehicle code, so I don’t think someone that obscures their license plate is of the impression that they’re above traffic enforcement.
"People don't want their movement tracked" <-- something that isn't happening in free societies, with the exception of maybe murderers.
"Any officer can clock their speed" <-- but you're completely cool with a society where uniformed officers are ubiquitous, randomly enforce the law and could track your movement if they wanted.
At least have the integrity and honesty to admit you just don't want to pay tickets for speeding or parking illegally.
It is well established that the US government conducts mass surveillance on its population. I don’t know what government surveillance is like where you’re from. I actually prefer a world where humans enforce laws rather than automated systems (in general). While officers aren’t perfect, they can use their own discretion to enforce laws and that sounds better to me than living in a world with cameras watching us and instantly fining us for infractions. I personally don’t obscure my own license plate, but I believe someone who does, can do so for privacy purposes without lacking integrity or honesty.
I personally want to live in a country where 40,000+ people don't die from traffic violence every year.
I also think the subjective enforcement of laws by uniformed officers has a terrible record in this country. It strains credulity that anyone would trust a police officer more than a speed camera. I personally think it says something about their actual concerns with oppressive government.
Despite your apparent belief the government is already doing mass surveillance that impacts you, you specifically have a problem with traffic enforcement. Presumably you own a registered vehicle with a serial number and have a drivers license. Forgive me for being skeptical of "concerns about privacy" that specifically entail traffic enforcement but aren't strong enough to forgo vehicle ownership.
I don't think anyone's personal paranoia about traffic enforcement or their personal consumer preference to use a private automobile should take priority over reducing the thousands of deaths and injuries on our roads.
>"People don't want their movement tracked" <-- something that isn't happening in free societies, with the exception of maybe murderers.
Where can we find these free societies, and how can we get there? Because if you live in the Unites States, you are most definitely being tracked by a dizzying array of private and public organizations.
> People who obscure their license plates should have their cars impounded and licenses revoked
People pay tax on the fuel, pay tax on the car, pay tax on the parts and servicing, yet you want the state to be able to identify the vehicles?
How many deaths and injuries do the vehicles cause in comparison to other deaths and injuries? Take the NRA and shooter deaths and injuries, or even knife crime, those people dont have to walk around with identification tattoos, and anyone can get a uniform to impersonate people of authority.
The state employees, namely the Police give you all the privacy you can afford, you wont find this online, but I've been reliably told, that the 13/14yr old son of this bloke [1], took one of the family limousines and crashed it in Kent, UK.
When the Police attending the RTA realised who he was, the UK Police gave him an hour or two to clear up the mess or face being arrested. Naturally someone this rich can pull strings, so the mess was cleared up and now nothing exists online.
I dont think most people realise how life is crime free for the rich who donate to charitable causes and employ large numbers of people!
So why do we need our privacy stolen especially considering mobile phones can triangulate and locate people under the guise of cell tower traffic management and most cars now have trackers built into them to remote shut them down called telematics, also used to monitor the driving of the insured and car manufacturers[2] are proposing vehicles that can even reposses themselves.
You can learn alot from this [3] if Hollywood isnt trolling the poor whilst virtual signalling for profits!
Now watch how quickly this discussion gets pushed down onto subsequent pages of HN to protect the Rich! Position 11 @ 10:38 UTC 20230228.
Is your "privacy stolen" when you register your vehicle? If you were so worried about privacy you wouldn't have a vehicle.
Just admit you don't have a problem with privacy. You have a problem with automated enforcement.
And yes automated enforcement reduces deaths and injuries. That's a well documented and proven fact. Indulging your paranoia and personal consumer preferences is not worth a single injury or death.
That could explain the police pulling me over in my car after work one night back in the 90's in order to find out who was online as this was before mobile phones.
Still, automated systems no longer apply to me, I don't have a driving licence, GP says no.
>indulging you paranoia
Considering how many people are tortured by employees of the state and killed, makes your statement nonsense but keep drinking the states coolaid.
[1] https://platerecognizer.com/alpr-for-vehicles-without-licens...
[2] https://www.dahuasecurity.com/asset/upload/uploads/soft/2021...