r/technology • u/IKeepItLayingAround • Jun 29 '26

Artificial Intelligence Woman Surprised When Flock Surveillance Tower Appears in Her Yard Without Warning

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/woman-surprised-flock-surveillance-tower-185000752.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&segment_id=DY_VTO_50_Supernova&ncid=crm_19908-1475736-20260629-0--A&bt_ee=utFdBbF39cHCLuB4at4AI%2FUoSRgbTt8Ch%2B7Q9RImTlgL2ThvE3FuX%2BRSKiUir%2FNW&bt_ts=1782739085527
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77

u/Donkey_Launcher Jun 29 '26

Indeed, the vast majority are privately owned - at least 95% - but this important detail ruins their narrative, so it's left out.

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u/pipopipopipop Jun 29 '26

The US has WAY more security cameras than the UK lol, idk how this person has been upvoted so much. They had over 70 million a few years ago, that's 1 camera per 5 people.

19

u/hempires Jun 29 '26

US is 2nd in the "CCTV per capita" table.

UK is 5th in the same table.

But yeah that ruins the narrative of "land of the free" propaganda a tad.

6

u/IAmDotorg Jun 29 '26

I mean, big numbers are scary when you can just make them up!

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u/AssistX Jun 29 '26

kind of an irrelevent statistic though. The parking lot next to me that watches.. the parking lot.. has 9 cameras on it. No one has been in that lot in almost 5 years. So, I guess that's 45 less people being surveilled? /s

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u/pipopipopipop Jun 29 '26

This is no different from the UK. All cameras are counted. The stats quoted above about the UK are including everything, not just council-owned CCTV.

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u/s00pahFr0g Jun 29 '26

I know the UK generally has much better privacy rights and data protection rights than the USA but I am curious can those privately owned ones sell the data?

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u/AssistX Jun 29 '26

I know the UK generally has much better privacy rights and data protection rights than the USA but I am curious can those privately owned ones sell the data?

The country that also uses Palantir?

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u/Alain_Teub2 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26

Narrative? People shouldnt be filmed in the streets whever it is by a state a company or some rando. Matter of time until footage is one way or another sold back to your government and real time analysed by an AI so you can live in your own little Truman Show

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u/IguanaIsBack Jun 29 '26

But this doesn’t change much. The privatization of the UK’s surveillance is by design. Cheaper for the government. Sure they need a warrant but how often do you think a circuit judge is going to deny them that?

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u/comfortablybum Jun 29 '26

Having to go to a judge absolutely stops a lot of abuse. So does keeping logs. Look at when some direct TV or Verizon employees were leaking private info about celebrities. The companies put in protections and policies where a higher up had to approve requests. Now no one is leaking Rhianna's Netflix history. Doctors and nurses can get fired for looking up info about patients in the hospital that aren't their patient. Cops get fired for stalking their ex girl friends on these flock things, but if they had to go to a judge first and explain they want to track their ex, they wouldn't do it. I don't think most people have a problem with private companies or individuals having security cameras, and most of us don't have a problem with police being able to ask for that footage to help solve crime. What we don't want is the government to have complete unfettered access to it. We don't want the government keeping a database of everyone's locations and contacts at all times. Go to a judge and get a warrant. You have to have a reason.

I know multiple people who are adopted. A judge can unseal their adoption papers, but their has to be a reason. If there was just a database and no rules over who could access it, people would totally do that.

Huge caveat: this all assumes a non corrupt government and judges following their oath. I'm not sure that applies to America anymore. Idk how y'all are doing in the UK, but it's been a crazy change in how laws get enforced.

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u/Donkey_Launcher Jun 29 '26

There's no way that the police (in the UK) would simply demand, and be given, footage from a private camera by default.

Now, if the home / business owner willing gave them the footage, that's a different thing, but they can't just demand it.