> "Of course, one would think that it wouldn't be very difficult for the authorities to obtain footage from privately-owned cameras." As an individual I've eas

> "Of course, one would think that it wouldn't be very difficult for the authorities to obtain footage from privately-owned cameras." As an individual I've easily been able to obtain stills from privately operated security cameras, once when I left something in a taxi, and needed to track down the operator (got that within minutes), and another in relation to a no-fault car accident (feckin' motor-cycle courier!), in both cases just by tracking down the owner of a public facing camera and asking nicely. On that basis, I doubt the police would have any more difficulty doing the same, but there is still a significant difference between this and the "police state" image this article portrays.