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Post by whidbeyislandguy on Jul 17, 2008 16:23:02 GMT -8
Anyone else thinking of the book 1984??
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Post by Northern Exploration on Jul 17, 2008 18:07:21 GMT -8
Many police services now use mobile vans and vehicles that drive up and down the streets and parking lots scanning license plates. They automatically compare these with databases of stolen cars and outstanding tickets and so on. Initially they have brought a lot of results. As crooks have gotten smarter they are more frequently parking in garages. I do not believe that they can enter private property and scan. So I am not sure if a vehicle is in a multi-level private parking facility whether you can be scanned.
When you park in the Greater Toronto Airport Authority parking garage at the Toronto Airport your car license and face are scanned on arrival and departure. Long term parking has been a major source of stolen high end cars shipped overseas. This has almost eliminated it. I do not believe that they compare that information with police records though. You keep the ticket with you and pay for your parking before returning to your vehicle. If you lose that ticket they put you through the wringer for security and can figure out on the computer when you arrived and therefore what to charge you. It is more for prevention of crime but I can see how an overly zealous agency would want access to all of these sorts of sources of information.
We had some street surveillance here for a short while. I personally believe it should be extended. In Britain you are covered almost everywhere by cameras. One of the reasons that Britain was able to move so quickly with the investigation into the Subway bombings.
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Post by old_wsf_fan on Jul 17, 2008 20:33:36 GMT -8
I am still on the fence about having cameras everywhere. I can appreciate the rational about making the ferries as safe as possible and having been the victim of auto theft on 3 occasions, I like that aspect of it. But I have concerns about more personal liberties being taken in the name of security and not being able to vote for or against changes that have occured since 9/11.
Maybe I am way off base on this one.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Jul 17, 2008 21:52:12 GMT -8
Well look at the narrows bridge, they take the license plate picture with all the toll facilities. Makes sense with the ferry terminal since anyone can observe it. Just limit's their options, but if they do not have return dollars on it, then it is a waste.
I have the exact same concern for civil liberties as the Congress seems to care more about spending and the Bush agenda. If you would like to discuss politics, I am willing to create a thread for it and discuss.
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