this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2026
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A woman drives with both hands on the wheel. Her phone sits face-down on her lap. No officer pulls her over. No lights flash. Weeks later, a $1,251 ticket arrives in the mail. The evidence: a single frame from a Camera surveillance app. The charge: phone use while driving.

Automated camera companies market their devices as automated license plate readers — tools for catching stolen cars, flagging warrants, and aiding serious investigations.

Sold as a Crime Tool. Used as a Fine Machine.

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[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 months ago

For your safety.™

[–] Karmanopoly@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Wouldn't they have to prove it was a phone and not some black address book or something

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[–] BenLeMan@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago
[–] CADmonkey@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

Great. Let me make sure my phone sits somewhere that hides it from view overhead when im not using it.

Ive been leaving my phone home more and more when I go places. I can't wait until I get a citation for not having a phone.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Meanwhile in NYC they're only allowed to put traffic cameras in school zones, they're speed-based only, the fine is like $100, and drivers can rack up dozens of tickets without any consequence to the standing of their drivers license.

I dunno man, I feel like there's a happy medium in traffic enforcement automation between these two extremes? It's almost as if stuff like the Georgia example exists to provide ammunition to the opponents in NYC who successfully defanged traffic cameras up there. With a thin veneer over the top that this is about surveillance.

Flock cameras, AI surveillance, etc is bad. But the specific examples and criticisms being brought up, like this one, feel very disingenuous in the face of how many Americans die to distracted drivers every year. Like are we actually pushing back against AI state surveillance, or are we defending the "right" of motorists to be wildly dangerous to those around them?

[–] spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Should breathalyzers be mandated in every vehicle because of the number of deaths due to drunk drivers? Should there be mass pedestrian surveillance with facial recognition to prevent crime because there are lots of criminals that use sidewalks?

The problem with any kind of mass surveillance is the information gathered will always be misused because that's what those in positions of power always do. Police officers are already using camera information to monitor the whereabouts of their exes and girlfriends. Now the data's being used as a revenue source, not for public safety.

Another example - Schools remotely enabled cameras (and disabled the camera LED) on their student's PCs and actually spied on those students in their own bedrooms. Administrators saw absolutely nothing wrong with it and tried to punish those students if they didn't like what they saw.

In my opinion there isn't any possibility for a happy medium, it's eventually going to be all or nothing.

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[–] MasterBlaster@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

Like I said on a similar thread - we already lost our feedom. They're just installing the shackles now.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

Per the article this was not a Flock cam. FYI.

[–] Folstar@lemmus.org 7 points 2 months ago

Wow, it sure must take a lot of processing power to go through that much surveillance data.

[–] auzy1@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Not allowed to keep her phone on her lap when driving. Let's be honest, she used it, and put it down quickly

Here in Australia a cop busted me using my phone once (not defendable, but I was at a red light).

I have no problem with that. I also have no problem with mobile phone detection either still despite getting pulled over

If you don't want to follow the traffic laws don't drive or change country (but don't complain if you get hit by a oncoming car)

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