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Comment by NetworkPerson | Hacker News Reader

I'm not sure what to think here. Legitimate misuse, sure. But the article says at least one person only looked up their own license plate. I feel like that should be considered acceptable. It's not law enforcement usage specifically, but can't I grant myself the right to see information on my own vehicle?

Yes, devil's advocate could say if standard citizens can't, no one can. Just seems so minor it's not worth losing a job over. All other cases (including plates of family which you don't directly own), yes, investigate fully and apply appropriate actions.

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> I feel like that should be considered acceptable

Not if they're married and their spouse also drives the vehicle.

Ethics aside, I don’t think there’s a legal issue with obtaining data on one’s spouse.

Legal issue no, but with how much more likely cops are to be domestic abusers, i think its very dangerous

Given how many murders are committed against one's spouse, there ought to be.

So what's your point?

"Ethics aside" for the person empowered to act on behalf of the state?

That’s a take. Maybe stop, say it out loud and see if you catch yourself. Like, why am I searching for where my own car has been?

Oh right, because I am worried about the safety of my children. God save us from child safety.

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I love that eight years on this was your first comment! I am either happy or sorry that I led you to such heights Icarus.

Really? Doesn't a spouse have a right to privacy? I don't see how getting married makes you forfeit privacy rights you otherwise have.

Unless you mean that there's no legal issue with obtaining data in anyone, which is a much larger problem.

There is a legal concept here of “spousal privilege” similar to that between attorney-client or priest-penitent. So a spouse with “information” could not be compelled to divulge it.

But if you mean husband and wife keeping secrets hidden from each other, that is not really a thing, except for normal human limits and boundaries, and in a marriage, the spouses should probably expect a reasonable minimum of that.

Replying to myself to address responses.

I didn’t express an opinion about whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea. All of you have had an immediate emotional reaction to the idea that there’s no legal “right to privacy” from your spouse. The legal question and the ethical questions (should you be aware at all time what your spouse is up to? should you dig around in their personal journal or phone to learn thing?) are separate.

Should you invade your spouse’s privacy? No. And if you’re constantly paranoid enough to be doing that, you likely have issues that are negatively affecting the relationship.

There’s not even proper protection of your privacy from strangers and companies, let alone such from a spouse.

Should there be? Of course.

The arguments against this behavior don’t even need to include spousal considerations. It shouldn’t happen, period. When it happens, it should be punished, period. But when it’s punished, “oh, it’s just my wife” isn’t a defense - not because spouses should have privacy protections, but because the system was abused.

A quick bit of research proves otherwise, for example: https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/591464acadd7b0493427d3... and others as described here: https://aaml.org/wp-content/uploads/MAT109_1.pdf

It's misuse precisely because any civilian can't use the same tool. Despite how they act, cops do not have a separate set of legal rights that extend to their off-duty lives.

If a cop was checking to make sure they got away with drunk driving, it removes factors that might deter them from continuing that behavior.

In the state of Georgia, https://eservices.drives.ga.gov/_/ gives access to the following information based on license plate or VIN:

Look-up Information Look-up the status of your title, insurance, or registration. Also view available prestige plates or license plates, vehicle history, or search for ELT lienholders.

  Check Title Status
  Check Insurance Status
  Check Registration Status
  Check Prestige License Plate Availability
  View License Plates
  Search ELT Lienholder
  Vehicle History Lookup
  Check on My Purchase from a Dealer

I don't think there is any website that will tell you where a car has been and when it was last spotted, and I assume that was the kind of information that Flock would be gathering.

It basically shows a lack of respect for the gravity of these tools. If a cop was fucking around with a gun, youd want them held accountable for that so there is a standard of care in using these things. We need that because these can be very dangerous if misused, even unintentionally. The next thing this cop might do with alpr data is look up their friend to play a prank on them or something. Its gotta be nipped in the bud

It’s a test with a good excuse. If caught, it’s only their own data, right? If not caught, then time to abuse the system.

im not sure if anyone saw me, was my presence noted on camera at the time and locale of a crime?

thats why looking up your own marker, should be suspicious, its reconaissance, investigating the investigation.

when someone queries the police for status of info, or tries to be overly helpful its a checkmark toward reasonable suspicion.

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