2013-08-20 16:07:52.87709+00 by Dan Lyke 2 comments
It's interesting that I'm so opposed to the NSA spying on the net, but I'm actually not as outraged over the news that the U.S. Secret Service asking that the Virginia State Police used automated license plate readers to record attendees at 2008 and 2009 political rallies.
But on the other hand, databases like this have a long history of being abused. For instance: 1, 2.
[ related topics: Politics moron Current Events Law Enforcement Databases ]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2013-08-20 17:49:40.76932+00 by: Larry Burton
Your lowered level of outrage may stem from the fact that the license plate readers are not much different that video cameras in public. There is less expectation of privacy while driving on a public road with an identifying plate on your car than there is in a private email or phone call to another individual. I'm troubled by persistent data collection in public but I'm outraged at strangers perusing my private emails and tracking my phone habits.
#Comment Re: made: 2013-08-20 18:12:38.973062+00 by: Dan Lyke
Yeah, I think there's some notion of asymmetry. I can deploy license plate readers myself. I can build systems to share that data with others. I haven't done this (yet), but I've considered it for a few applications.
Email and phone records are different from that.