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Submitted by an Anonymous Coward:
https://www.wired.com/story/license-plate-readers-political-signs-bumper-stickers/
AI-powered cameras on cars and trucks have been used to capture images of political signs, individuals wearing T-shirts with text, and vehicles displaying pro-abortion bumper stickers. The data, reviewed by WIRED, shows how a tool originally designed for traffic enforcement has evolved into a system capable of monitoring 'speech' protected by the US Constitution.
[...] Another image taken on a different day by a different vehicle shows a "Steelworkers for Harris-Walz" sign stuck in the lawn in front of someone's home. A construction worker, with his face unblurred, is pictured near another Harris sign. Other photos show Trump and Biden (including "Fuck Biden") bumper stickers on the back of trucks and cars across America. One photo, taken in November 2023, shows a partially torn bumper sticker supporting the Obama-Biden lineup.
These images were generated by AI-powered cameras mounted on cars and trucks, initially designed to capture license plates, but which are now photographing political lawn signs outside private homes, individuals wearing T-shirts with text, and vehicles displaying pro-abortion bumper stickers—all while recording the precise locations of these observations.
The detailed photographs all surfaced in search results produced by DRN Data, a license-plate-recognition (LPR) company owned by Motorola Solutions. The LPR system can be used by private investigators, repossession agents, and insurance companies. However, files shared with WIRED by artist Julia Weist show that those with access to the LPR system can search for common phrases or names, such as those of politicians, and be served with photographs where the search term is present, even if it is not displayed on license plates. The research also reveals the extent to which surveillance is happening on a mass scale in the quiet streets of America, and how people's personal political views and homes can be recorded into vast databases that can be queried.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2024, @02:24AM (14 children)
Yet it's illegal to record the audio of two people speaking in public, without them being aware of it. Huh.
Maybe, in fact, it *is* reasonable to expect privacy on speech that happens in public.
How would you feel about having every word that you ever uttered transcribed and put in a book, Words of Hopdevil, in the country's library, OCR'd and made available for everyone, everywhere to search and consider?
Most people would be *highly uncomfortable* with that, to probably a vomiting degree.
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2024, @02:38AM (7 children)
Everything went downhill when man started to record past events. Don't know if the same suspicions about privacy arose back then
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2024, @10:03PM (6 children)
Offtopic
We clearly have a moderator here that does not understand English.
It is unfortunate that pointing out this fact will also be modded down
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday October 08 2024, @11:03PM (5 children)
Perhaps people are trying to tell you something...?
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2024, @11:31PM (4 children)
Then they should put it in words that are human readable. Otherwise they're full of it. The post was not offtopic. The message being sent is just drive-by bullshit, a form of trolling while contributing nothing of value.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 09 2024, @05:13PM (3 children)
I modded you offtopic because your initial comment was completely so, and your complaints about same are similarly offtopic.
Say something on topic (I won't hold my breath) and I'll stop modding you offtopic*.
*This comment is offtopic too. Would some kind soul please mod it as such?
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 10 2024, @11:41PM
It was not. You just didn't get it. You are just being an abusive asshole with your political down mods. Lucky for you there is no real karma/justice to smite your ass.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 11 2024, @06:54PM (1 child)
Hmm, too bad you don't lose modding privileges for this abuse.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday October 11 2024, @07:01PM
See my reply here [soylentnews.org].
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2024, @04:52AM (2 children)
This varies widely state-to-state. Depending on the jurisdiction, it's completely legal, legal with consent of one party, or required that both parties consent to be legal.
(Score: 2) by Username on Tuesday October 08 2024, @01:42PM (1 child)
It should be legal to record audio. Need proof of harassment, stalking, false rape claims, whatever.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2024, @07:01PM
Found the stalking rapist what wants to discredit their victims.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Tuesday October 08 2024, @09:00AM (1 child)
Two people? What about three? From your context you seem to be referring to a conversation between two people that happens to take place in a public space. That's fair enough. It is very different however from a person (or two or three) standing on a soapbox and making a speech to a crowd. Having a bumper sticker or a sign on your house is equivalent to making a speech to a crowd because you intend random strangers to get your message.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2024, @10:31AM
But apparently AI etc should make it easier to exclude the copyrighted content.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 08 2024, @02:40PM
"Everyone, everywhere" here being someone with an angle - police looking for a scapegoat or a marketing firm looking for fresh eyeball. Imagine being targeted for criminal prosecution or scams because you said the wrong thing by a fridge. What they don't know can't hurt you.