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from the smile-you-are-on-Candid-Camera dept.
Why install them if they don't plan to use them ? Doesn't pass the smell test.
Fusion site passes on the news that Hertz is putting cameras inside its rental cars as part of its "NeverLost" navigational system:
Hertz has offered the NeverLost navigational device for years, but it only added the built-in camera feature (which includes audio and video) to its latest version of the device -- NeverLost 6 -- in mid-2014. "Approximately a quarter of our vehicles across the country have a NeverLost unit and slightly more than half of those vehicles have the NeverLost 6 model installed,” Hertz spokesperson Evelin Imperatrice said by email. In other words, one in 8 Hertz cars has a camera inside -- but Imperatrice says that, for now, they are inactive. "We do not have adequate bandwidth capabilities to the car to support streaming video at this time," she said.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday March 18 2015, @01:47AM
Alright, so right now, the idea of Hertz spying on it's customers is objectionable.
All the same, Hertz is investing the money, putting the cameras in place, and at some point in time, they WILL turn the damned things on. No corporation is going to waste money on cameras that they don't intend to use. They are testing the waters, while at the same time conditioning customers to the idea.
Two years from now, all of Hertz cars will be spying on their customers.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by TheGratefulNet on Wednesday March 18 2015, @02:18AM
playing devil's advocate even though I also mistrust anyone who installs a cam and says they wont' use it - but maybe the model they bought was at the right price point and the cam came with it, no choice involved.
most phones come with cameras. you almost can't buy a phone with a cam. some companies have strict policies about not bringing cameras into workplaces and so you'd have to find a phone that does not have a cam in it. hard to do these days.
I worked at a company about 15 or 20 yrs ago that made cdrom drives for computers (they were a computer oem, actually). one client demanded that we remove the volume control and audio out jack (remember, this is a long time ago when audio cd's just came out). they didn't want 'workers' to listen to music at work! so we had to remove the jack and vol control.
but it costs to do that. often its cheaper to buy a standard model.
so, its possible that it just came that way.
still, I would avoid such cars if there are ones on the lot that don't have this.
the scary part is: someday, you may not even have a choice, they all might come with it ;(
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Snotnose on Wednesday March 18 2015, @03:19AM
I can't imagine a scenario where Hertz gets free cameras. They say it's for teleconferencing, but what percentage of their customers do that while driving? I'm guessing pretty close to zero.
I agree, most phones come with cameras. But lets look at who doesn't want a camera on their phone. People with secret clearances. Lawyers (phones aren't allowed in court). A small sample of the population to be sure, but I used to be one of them (secret clearance, had to leave my phone at the entrance every day).
I came. I saw. I forgot why I came.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Wednesday March 18 2015, @03:24AM
Dang, I need a 2 minute window to edit my posts. Lawyers aren't allowed to have cameras in court, not phones.
Evidently there's a limit to how soon I can comment on my own post that shows I'm a dumass :(
I came. I saw. I forgot why I came.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @10:12AM
Yes, there's a 2 minute delay until you can post again. I'm not even sure it saves bandwidth; I suspect the inevitable repeated attempts to post until it finally gets through (who actually watches his clock to determine when he can post again?) actually increase bandwidth usage.
(Score: 1) by tftp on Wednesday March 18 2015, @04:18AM
They say it's for teleconferencing, but what percentage of their customers do that while driving? I'm guessing pretty close to zero.
I'm not sure what would the other, dastardly intent of Hertz be. How can they use a camera that shows the face of the driver? Are they getting swamped with unauthorized drivers? A criminal would cover the camera. A GPS connected to the same cellular network would be far more useful to them, as it locates the vehicle and monitors the speed. I'd be somewhat able to understand if you install a camera in your personal car to raise hell if someone else is driving. But quite a lot of strangers drive rental cars... Is Hertz planning to publish videos of driver's faces on YouTube for a small fee, or what?
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @06:54AM
Get in a wreck and they can tell if you were on the phone or otherwise distracted in the seconds before impact. That way the super expensive insurance they sold you as part of the rental won't have to pay out because negligence isn't covered.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Thursday March 19 2015, @04:13AM
I'm not a criminal and you can be 100% sure I'd be putting electrical tape over the camera. Is that gonna make my rate go up?
I came. I saw. I forgot why I came.
(Score: 1) by tftp on Thursday March 19 2015, @04:31AM
Is that gonna make my rate go up?
You may find words like these on the page 811 of your Car Rental Agreement:
3615.1: The Customer agrees to not obstruct or otherwise interfere with technologies of Remote Monitoring of Well-Being™, whatever they may be and however they may be implemented in the rented vehicle. If the service of Remote Monitoring detects failure in operation of the said systems, the vehicle will be remotely disabled to ensure continued Well-Being of the Customer and their passengers. Customer agrees to the surcharge [of $300] per each incident of tampering with the vehicle's systems.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @04:09AM
> they didn't want 'workers' to listen to music at work! so we had to remove the jack and vol control.
> but it costs to do that. often its cheaper to buy a standard model.
Should have just put epoxy in the headphone jack.
(Score: 5, Funny) by redneckmother on Wednesday March 18 2015, @01:51AM
In other news, Duct Tape sales have risen by 30% among business travelers.
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by TheGratefulNet on Wednesday March 18 2015, @02:24AM
goatse images (and other disturbing ones) could be optically piped into the tiny camera. would be 'great fun' to send that kind of data thru the camera. you'd probably never hear back about it, but you'd still know that if anyone DID look, they'd be punished. which is a Good Thing(tm). spies should always be punished (absolutely).
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 18 2015, @03:10AM
FTFY - movie pictures makes the spies' punishment better.
Suggestion: Human Centipede [wikipedia.org]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @04:12AM
> goatse images (and other disturbing ones) could be optically piped into the tiny camera.
> spies should always be punished
Sounds like you have a fetish.
I have been a bad, bad spy. Do you want to punish me?
(Score: 5, Funny) by middlemen on Wednesday March 18 2015, @04:46AM
goatse images (and other disturbing ones) could be optically piped into the tiny camera.
with the title my butt hertz!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday March 18 2015, @01:06PM
Why not chewing gum?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1) by redneckmother on Wednesday March 18 2015, @05:04PM
An excellent idea, except for DNA, bite marks, etc. With gloves, one can dispense tape "anonymously".
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you."
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday March 18 2015, @05:13PM
Sticking wads of gum on things is not illegal, is it?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @05:36PM
I think it is in Singapore. I think it is illegal to chew gum there.
(Score: 1) by redneckmother on Wednesday March 18 2015, @07:09PM
Vandalism is unlawful. Illegal is a sick bird. (groan).
Thanks. I'll be here all week (weak?).
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @04:15AM
Why install them if they don't plan to use them ? Doesn't pass the smell test.
Controlling behavior. Even if the users aren't actually watched, having the possibility back on your mind will affect you.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday March 18 2015, @05:33AM
"having the possibility back on your mind will affect you."
Yes it will. I won't rent from Hertz. Anything. Ever.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 4, Funny) by richtopia on Wednesday March 18 2015, @04:27AM
My first thought was "Sure; countries like Russia have very prevalent dash cam usage and it makes since for the rental fleets to be an early adopter in the USA"
But why watch the driver? Do they want to improve their nose picking technique from me? They just need to ask!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday March 18 2015, @06:29AM
Since the NSA officials bullshit talks I learned there people play the wording games. They say 'we won't turn on the cams' but they can turn on only the mics, they didn't say that.
Don't trust people that don't trust you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @06:52AM
> They say 'we won't turn on the cams' but they can turn on only the mics, they didn't say that.
I hate to say it. But that was exactly what I thought too.
As in they would turn on the mics and pipe all conversation to a data-mining service that would also be primed with your personally identifiable information gleaned from the rental application. It might even get so far out of hand that they would sell access to people's conversations, so google could pay hertz to listen in on facebook employees in one of these vehicles. All of which you agreed to in the fine print on the 20 pages of the rental agreement.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @09:21AM
If the cameras are already on by default no one has to turn them on. Sound and pictures.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday March 18 2015, @01:09PM
It does make me think that most of the people who use rental cars are MBA/business travellers and government officials running around, getting up to no good, so if we the techs of the world can get copies of the feeds we can do a lot to bring their peccadillos and misdeeds to light. Think of what we could do with footage of the politician who pretends to be a loving family man in front of the TV cameras cussing a blue streak in traffic. Or the holy roller evangelical preacher getting a BJ from a woman who is not his wife.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Wednesday March 18 2015, @09:56PM
It will only make us, "the techs of the world", the bad guys. Illegaly collected evidence is dismissed in court so hypocrites won't serve the time they deserve.
Here is a story from 10+ years ago from my country. A mobster owned a cab company and had installed mics in all cars. He offered very cheap/free rides to politicans and rich people as a gesture of goodwill. Then he built his own blackmail archive: mistresses, hookers, gays, pedos, fears etc. After a while he was appointed as head of our FBI.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2015, @10:06AM
Translation: "We will stream the video from those cameras as soon as our bandwidth issues are solved."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by sudo rm -rf on Wednesday March 18 2015, @10:44AM
There's a follow-up article on the same site [fusion.net].
Random excerpts:
There are two privacy features protecting the user. The first, is the cool electronically blacked out glass. It turns clear when the camera is in use, so if you cannot see the camera it cannot see you. The second feature is the turret that the camera is mounted in. When you turn the knob on the top to the off position the camera is facing the side of the unit behind a shutter and cannot see out the window.
It appears that [Hertz] have shot themselves in the foot with the blacked out glass not allowing the user to see that there is a physical barrier preventing someone from watching you.
Even though Hertz wasn’t ready to activate the cameras, Broome said it was “economically efficient” to put the devices into NeverLost units in 2014 because they were upgrading the units fleet-wide. The thinking was, “Why not put a lens in now rather than a couple of years from now?”
Hertz is now in the difficult position of defending a feature it may never even use. “If people are renting a car with a camera and they are really concerned about privacy, we can put them in a different car,” said Broome. “We don’t want customers to feel watched when they’re in the car.”
(Score: 2) by WillR on Wednesday March 18 2015, @07:25PM
Or to borrow a phrase from John Oliver: "Hertz Neverlost... how is this still a thing?"