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Has anyone proposed a set of "marking" standards for surveillance cameras? For example, presenting a law that government cameras be marked as such, that there i

Has anyone proposed a set of "marking" standards for surveillance cameras? For example, presenting a law that government cameras be marked as such, that there is an indication of the audience type (eg some kind of "public audience symbol" for a zoo cam), and maybe some kind of RF broadcast URL, or a URL to be posted within 100 feet for more information? If just a few localities had regulations like this covering government and private cameras, and if they were reasonably well designed regulations, I'll bet it would be a huge privacy benefit that would give people more peace of mind and improve communities. There will always be some exceptions for whatever Black Ops are going down in the desert, or whatever, but a lot of these needlessly anxiety-making camera-human-sensor-loop systems could probably be brought to an end quickly.

DanBC 8y ago
In the UK (at least, in England) all traffic speed cameras have to be bright yellow. (I feel this is caving in to the driving lobby.) There are restrictions in where they can be placed. We have laws governing use of cameras (RIPA and DPA), a data protection regulator who requires people and companies to register if they use CCTV, and we have a surveillance commissioner who provides some scrutiny of the use of these powers. Here's a jargon-heavy discussion about some of these powers: https://www.lateosurveillance.co.uk/idiots-guide-ripa-directed-surveillance/ https://www.lateosurveillance.co.uk/idiots-guide-ripa-direct... https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-surveillance-commissioners https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-survei... https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/surveillance-camera-commissioner https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/surveillance-cam... All of this regulation doesn't seem to have stopped the proliferation of cameras. People say that London has more CCTV cameras than any other city.
- gambiting 8y ago
  >>all traffic speed cameras have to be bright yellow. (I feel this is caving in to the driving lobby.) If we assume that the primary purpose of a speed camera is to reduce speeding where its placed, then you want it to be as visible as physically possible. A hidden camera does absolutely nothing to slow someone down - they will get a ticket in the post few weeks later, but at the time when they drove past it, it didn't do anything to slow them down.
  - DanBC 8y ago
    The speed limit signs are the things that should be slowing down drivers. The purpose of the camera is to enforce the law. By painting them yellow we're allowing drivers to evade the law: slow down for this bit, keep driving at our usual unlawful too fast speed everywhere else.
    - gambiting 8y ago
      It's the exact opposite of what you just said. A brightly painted camera enforces the law - it makes literally everyone follow the rules within its sight. A hidden camera does not enforce the law - it just guarantees punishment, but not compliance. It might make people slow down, but only after they get a ticket - and I'd argue that's far too late. If you have a section of the road where it's absolutely critical to follow the speed limit(near a school for example) then a visible speed camera is a far far far better choice than a hidden one.
      - megablast 8y ago
        This is plain ignorant. The threat of a fine makes it safer everywhere, not just where someone can see the camera.
        gambiting 8y ago
        I'd love to hear how is it ignorant - it's not the harshness of punishment that is discouraging illegal acts, otherwise we could punish everything by death and have zero crime. The thing that actually discourages illegal activity is the inevitability of punishment - if there is some chance you won't be caught, people will continue to speed. A visible speed camera guarantees punishment - it's a massive yellow sign that says "if you speed on this road you WILL get a ticket". With hidden cameras the message is "if you speed you MIGHT get a ticket" - and that just doesn't discourage enough.
        thatjsguy 8y ago
        Is that why nobody speeds in the US even with speed traps? Oh wait..
- jessaustin 8y ago
  Lots of comments in this thread seem to assume that painting something yellow will cause the typical driver to notice it. That is not my experience. The typical driver doesn't notice anything that isn't on her phone. New businesses on her everyday commute sprout fully-formed from the earth, the day that her maps app finds out about them.

DanBC 8y ago

In the UK (at least, in England) all traffic speed cameras have to be bright yellow. (I feel this is caving in to the driving lobby.) There are restrictions in where they can be placed. We have laws governing use of cameras (RIPA and DPA), a data protection regulator who requires people and companies to register if they use CCTV, and we have a surveillance commissioner who provides some scrutiny of the use of these powers. Here's a jargon-heavy discussion about some of these powers: https://www.lateosurveillance.co.uk/idiots-guide-ripa-directed-surveillance/ https://www.lateosurveillance.co.uk/idiots-guide-ripa-direct... https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-surveillance-commissioners https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-survei... https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/surveillance-camera-commissioner https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/surveillance-cam... All of this regulation doesn't seem to have stopped the proliferation of cameras. People say that London has more CCTV cameras than any other city.

gambiting 8y ago
>>all traffic speed cameras have to be bright yellow. (I feel this is caving in to the driving lobby.) If we assume that the primary purpose of a speed camera is to reduce speeding where its placed, then you want it to be as visible as physically possible. A hidden camera does absolutely nothing to slow someone down - they will get a ticket in the post few weeks later, but at the time when they drove past it, it didn't do anything to slow them down.
- DanBC 8y ago
  The speed limit signs are the things that should be slowing down drivers. The purpose of the camera is to enforce the law. By painting them yellow we're allowing drivers to evade the law: slow down for this bit, keep driving at our usual unlawful too fast speed everywhere else.
  - gambiting 8y ago
    It's the exact opposite of what you just said. A brightly painted camera enforces the law - it makes literally everyone follow the rules within its sight. A hidden camera does not enforce the law - it just guarantees punishment, but not compliance. It might make people slow down, but only after they get a ticket - and I'd argue that's far too late. If you have a section of the road where it's absolutely critical to follow the speed limit(near a school for example) then a visible speed camera is a far far far better choice than a hidden one.
    - megablast 8y ago
      This is plain ignorant. The threat of a fine makes it safer everywhere, not just where someone can see the camera.
      - gambiting 8y ago
        I'd love to hear how is it ignorant - it's not the harshness of punishment that is discouraging illegal acts, otherwise we could punish everything by death and have zero crime. The thing that actually discourages illegal activity is the inevitability of punishment - if there is some chance you won't be caught, people will continue to speed. A visible speed camera guarantees punishment - it's a massive yellow sign that says "if you speed on this road you WILL get a ticket". With hidden cameras the message is "if you speed you MIGHT get a ticket" - and that just doesn't discourage enough.
      - thatjsguy 8y ago
        Is that why nobody speeds in the US even with speed traps? Oh wait..
jessaustin 8y ago
Lots of comments in this thread seem to assume that painting something yellow will cause the typical driver to notice it. That is not my experience. The typical driver doesn't notice anything that isn't on her phone. New businesses on her everyday commute sprout fully-formed from the earth, the day that her maps app finds out about them.