A couple of years ago I wrote two articles about the danger of defending yourself in a progressive, left-wing, politically correct environment, such as is found in many "blue" cities and states. I made the point that the authorities there are increasingly going after those defending themselves, rather than those who attack them, due to political favoritism.
I emphasized the need for discretion, and to be aware of public safety systems that might be used against you, no matter how legitimate your actions might be according to the letter of the law. Among other dangers are surveillance cameras. I noted, in the first of the articles linked above:
Are there security cameras on businesses or buildings overlooking where you might have to act? (Don't forget innocuous-looking devices such as smart doorbells in residential areas - video from them has been used to catch criminals.) What about cameras mounted on light poles or buildings to cover the street? ... you may be recorded on video and audio by such systems, providing evidence that may be used to identify, arrest and convict you. Therefore, if you might have to take such action, you'll need to take that into account - particularly by avoiding areas where those are major concerns, or remaining as concealed as possible, or making yourself hard to recognize, while doing what's necessary and exiting the area.
(Law enforcement is already voicing concerns that face masks, mandatory in many areas thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, will stop facial recognition systems from working correctly. I imagine large, dark sunglasses in combination with a face mask will render one almost unrecognizable. See? Even pandemics have upsides! However, facial recognition isn't the only risk. Gait analysis can also be used to identify you in security camera footage. There are ways to defeat such analysis, but we don't have space or time to go into them here.)
There's more at the link.
The danger from such cameras is growing greater by the day, particularly because prosecutors and law enforcement authorities are increasingly trying to get access to recordings by any surveillance camera anywhere, whether or not the owners agree. Here are wo examples from this week's news headlines. Click either one to be taken to the article concerned.
Those who still think they have even a shred of privacy outside the four walls of their own homes should please take note. In this day and age, with surveillance and security technology all over big cities, we have no - repeat, NO - expectation of privacy at all in public. It can't be assumed, it can't be relied upon, and expectations of privacy most certainly can't be used to quibble about surveillance footage of us when we're about our lawful occasions. Surveillance is now ubiquitous, and no matter how distasteful we may find it, our courts have ruled that in public, it's legal.
Ergo: don't do anything in public that, even though legal, might be construed as illegal or politically incorrect - not unless you absolutely have to do so. If push comes to shove and you have no choice, assume you're going to be seen and recorded when you do so.
If Antifa and BLM start their shenanigans again, or mass riots or demonstrations break out in your city or town, or crime is escalating beyond the ability of the police to control it ... move. Get away from the danger area, certainly temporarily, and if possible permanently. You can't assume that your right to own property and be secure in it, or your right to privacy, will be any protection at all against such pressures, particularly when "woke" prosecutors may use you as a scapegoat or a public example of political incorrectness. It doesn't matter what the law says; it matters how those who enforce the law interpret and apply it.
That advice may sound like cowardice to some, but it's the only real protection you have. If you defend yourself against criminal attack or unrest, you may end up being the one charged with an offence, as we saw in New York City just last week.
Conduct yourself accordingly.
Peter
9 comments:
Speaking as a retired instructor...
I recommend conducting oneself as if you are ALWAYS being recorded, video and audio. If you are around 13 people, then there are at least 13 video cameras and audio recorders that can be in play at any one time.
No... unless you strip search every person and confiscate anything even vaguely technical, you are not clear. Even then, if someone really wants to record you they will. The tech is too good and you can't stop it. Anyone with a credit card and an Amazon account can put together a sophisticated surveillance package easily. Anyone with mediocre skills and $50 can do a rough job at it.
I have had students with video glasses, video pens, and sound-activated micro-recorders in addition to every cell phone and many watches.
There is no public area and very few private areas where one is not under surveillance of one type or another. The saving grace is that unless one is already a target, the sheer mass of data offsets the risk to a degree.
Hell, I put a trail-cam on my front porch due to a vandalism issue and was getting 14,000 images a day due to a road angle I missed on setup. That's not counting the camera I had watching the trail-cam.
WROL. We're already there.
The bit about the Second protects the First Amendment? Nope. The First has been shredded along with other parts and hasn't been protected. History will tell us if the Second can even manage to protect itself. But like the rest of the Constitution, it doesn't operate itself.
This whole scenario is beginning to sound like a Tom Lehrer song about paranoia
- unfortunately
I would go so far as to say that you may not even be safe from at least audio recording inside your own home, depending upon what type of smart appliances you may have. Also, there has been malicious software identified that can operate a cell phone's camera and microphone without the user's knowledge, sometimes when it is even turned off as most modern smart phones don't actually power down, but instead hibernate.
There is a reason that I don't have any "smart" appliances, nor do I have a smart phone. My flip phone has a removable battery. My computer does NOT have a camera or microphone connected or built in. If I need to use one, I plug it in for use, then immediately unplug it when I am through. I built my own computer, so I know exactly what it can and can't do.
There is a pole mounted camera at the one and only entrance to my neighborhood. At one point a few months ago, I made reference to it to a police officer who was working a stolen vehicle found nearby. It was obvious from his response that he was quite aware of the camera, but he denied that it was connected to a license plate reader. Since many license plate readers can take a video feed from any source, they don't have to be co-located with the camera. He didn't say what the camera was being used for.
Amazon: Faraday bag for cell phone
Just saying.
Faraday bag wouldn't block audio recording and storage for later transmission as it does with location data.
I just wear a Ronald Reagan mask when I go out.
Post a Comment