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Comment by anoonmoose | Hacker News Reader

Yeah, kind of surprised to see The Guardian and/or HN taking a pro-vigilante stance.

How is reporting illegal activity to the police a vigilante act?

I think the line becomes blurred when you actively gather the evidence, rather than happen upon it, and post the videos online to publicly shame the people in question.

There are traffic cameras and traffic police. If you're doing their job for them, you're a vigilante. Not complicated.

So if a a cyclist decided to bike up and film people smoking marijuana in their car, then submitted it to police aggressively, you wouldnt feel it was a vigilante act?

In a jurisdiction where driving while intoxicated on MJ is illegal, no, that's not vigilantism. You definitely don't want people driving around stoned in London traffic conditions - very much need to keep your wits about you when driving here. Yes, peoples' reaction to and tolerance of weed varies considerably, but there's just no need or reason to drive while high here.

No.

1. He is not a vigilante because he is merely reporting evidence to the proper authorities. A vigilante takes interpretation, defence and sentencing into their own hands.

2. UK police have actually asked road users to do this since they do not have the resources to be everywhere.

I'd agree more with your distinction if he was randomly happening upon crimes and reporting them instead of proactively seeking them out.

The fact that UK police are asking road users to do this makes it worse, and less advisable to do, not better/more.

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