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Federal judge calls Flock 'indiscriminate mass surveillance'

483 points · 267 comments · sbulaev

  1. charcircuit · · focus · HN ↗
    What you do on public roads is public.

    The idea that law enforcement tapping into existing law enforcement knowledge constitutes as a search of "persons, houses, papers, and effects" does not logically follow for me. It is a search of law enforcements own property.

    1. slowin · · focus · HN ↗
      > It is a search of law enforcements own property.

      The roads are not law enforcement's property and my private car on a public road is private property that requires a warrant to search. These things should be totally banned, but even your argument is wrong since Flocks don't mask just the road, they record everything in their field of view.

      1. charcircuit · · focus · HN ↗
        >The roads are not law enforcement's property

        I was referring data as the property. Accessing a public fact of your car is not the same as actually searching through a car.

        >they record everything in their field of view.

        And those areas are still part of the public.

        1. slowin · · focus · HN ↗
          Given that the roads are not law enforcement's property, and in fact public property, they would require public approval and voted on legislation for the police to install cameras on them.

          > And those areas are still part of the public.

          No, it's almost exclusively private land.

          1. charcircuit · · focus · HN ↗
            Basically, anyone is allowed to record what is in public view without getting any kind of permission ahead of time.
            1. iamnothere · · focus · HN ↗
              Courts and the law have disagreed with this in the past, see for instance stalking laws. If it’s possible to criminalize individual stalking, it’s possible to criminalize mass stalking.
              1. charcircuit · · focus · HN ↗
                It's against the first amendment to criminalize recording someone so eventually such laws will be struck down.
                1. iamnothere · · focus · HN ↗
                  Really? You think anti-stalking laws will be struck down?

                  Is this something you’re in favor of?

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