Smart Cameras Blog

[From BBC NEWS | Camera grid to log number plates]

The BBC is reporting that a nationwide system of monitoring license plates will be in place in a few months in Britain. The government is tying together various ANPR systems into one central computer. There are no limits on how this information can be used by police according to the article.

This will provide the police with unprecedented knowledge of its citizens’ movements. Just as governments can easily monitor all our activities online, the same is becoming true for real life.

Its only a matter of time until a similar network is setup in the US. ANPR/ALPR is a very useful technology, but is also has significant privacy implications that need to be addressed. I have previously mentioned the long term storage and sharing issues and the abuses with ALPR. These issues need to be addressed.

rshah ALPR, Policy

[From Alderman says he had this mural destroyed | Chicago Public Radio Blog]

Gabriel Villa just completed a mural in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, to have it promptly painted over by the city. The mural below includes Chicago surveillance cameras prominently. The comments at the Sun-Times article are illuminating, with many people expressing opinions about the cameras, police, and Daley.

rshah Chicago