Post #2068891

2026-04-19 18:51 UTC

Your title has it a little bit backwards. It doesn't affect you, until it *does*. That's why privacy is so difficult. People are naturally reactive. Their phone number gets leaked, they get spam calls, they suddenly care who has their phone number. But a license plate capture? There is no immediate affect. If the driver was given a monetary charge for every single license plate capture, there would be rioting in the streets and so many laws would be written and repealed... but there isn't. So people don't care because it doesn't affect them. I tried explaining this to my parents, and they got the concept in general, but again they are naturally reactive in their habits. They won't discuss banking details in front of their Alexa microphone, but will happily install a driving tracker in their car at the behest of their insurance agent. When their insurance went up because of excess braking (they have those BS short yellow lights to help the red-light cameras) then suddenly they cared that they were being tracked. The surveillance didn't affect them, until it did. It's so easy for people to just not think about it, or assume it won't happen to them, because that's the easiest method to cope with the shrinking amount of privacy we get. I know of no way to champion privacy. No call to arms about an offense to rally behind. It's a slow erosion that people don't immediately notice, until it finally affects them.

Replies (2)

@FineCoatMummy@sh.itjust.works 2026-04-20 13:30

Well said. I once heard someone sum it up like, *"Everyone has something to hide. You just don't know what that is, until it's too late."*

Open ##2068915
@PierceTheBubble@lemmy.ml 2026-04-21 09:05

The authorities don't have to (ab)use the technology against me, in order for me to be affected by it: in the presence of camera surveillance it makes me uneasy, and thus affects me. But I agree the average person is sadly, but somewhat blissfully, unaware of modern technology eroding their rights, and only start to care when they're in the midst of it. >If the driver was given a monetary charge for every single license plate capture, there would be rioting in the streets I wish they were, or at least aware, of the fact that the steep increase in parking tickets, is also due to ALPR technology (at the entry of lots, or mounted to enforcement vehicles), or when they accidentally enter a pedestrian area, enforced by ALPR cameras; but the sad reality is that they don't; and the same goes for trackers (built into modern vehicles), or some "free" navigation app they've installed on their smartphone (listing cheap gas stations for instance, or ironically seeks to avoid speeding tickets...). Money is indeed always the incentive, but it's only effective if people are unaware, or ignorant enough to not be able to, or willing to, look beyond the short-term monetary gain.

Open ##2068916