Comment by graemep | Hacker News Reader

Comment by graemep | Hacker News Reader

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> historically we have exactly zero expectation of privacy in public spaces in the UK.

True, but we also had zero expectation of permanent records being kept of so much of what we do in public spaces, or being under such constant surveillance in public spaces. I think that is a concern.

> Overall, I can't say I love the number of ANPR cameras we have, but then I'm also not thrilled by the thought of subsidising large numbers of people who aren't willing to hold up their side of the social contract by taxing and insuring their cars.

ANPR does not seem to have put a stop to it. I really cannot understand why. If someone has not made a Statutory Off Road Notification they must pay tax and be insured, and if they are caught on an ANPR camera having made a SORN they are clearly breaking the law

With such widespread use of ANPR I cannot understand how people are still able to get away with it.

> > historically we have exactly zero expectation of privacy in public spaces in the UK.

> True, but we also had zero expectation of permanent records being kept of so much of what we do in public spaces, or being under such constant surveillance in public spaces. I think that is a concern.

I've been watching a bunch of "auditor" videos from the UK. These guys are basically trolling by going around with a camera in public, filming stuff, and fishing for reactions that they can then post on Youtube or TikTok or Reels or whatever for views and engagement.

One thing that's very consistent across these videos is how many of their victims truly believe that you need permission to film people in public, or that they can walk up to the guy with the camera and demand to know who he is or that he deletes the footage. So a lot of people are acting as if they had much stronger rights to privacy than they really do, people think they're generally safe from being constantly surveilled, when the opposite is in fact true.

Another thing that's also hilariously consistent is when these auditors film businesses, and representatives of those businesses, usually the store manager, goes out and tells them they can't film the customers going in and out of the store because that's "against company policy" or "because of respect for our customers' privacy". At the same time, those stores have tons of security camera inside the store, recording every little thing every single customer is doing all the time.

The hypocrisy is blatant. Everybody wants to monitor everyone else, but no-one wants to be monitored by anyone.

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