California Town Says Flock Cameras Misread License Plates 71% of the Time

▲ California Town Says Flock Cameras Misread License Plates 71% of the Time(techdirt.com)

67 points by hn_acker 2 days ago | 13 comments

▲ usernomdeguerre 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Though flock says this deployment was 'special' the description of it sounds normal to me? "...cameras configured so that they capture only the backs of vehicles..." "...older hardware and placement of cameras higher and further from vehicles than the company typically recommends." 'Typically' is doing some heavy lifting there, either the deployment was recommended or it wasn't.

Given flock sold and installed it i'd lean on they were comfortable with 7/10 false positives until the story broke out. For a company implementing a surveillance panopticon I imagine some data is better than none for them. Less so for the false positives and their families though.

	▲	anakaine 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Thankfully the data is so terrible, and theres now a media story about it locally, that theres just more reason for anything that arises to be challenged in court, as hard as that will be on people's time and finances. More egg on Flocks face and more community backlash isnt a bad thing in my opinion.

▲ physicsguy 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I find all the reporting on cameras in the US quite interesting given we’ve had ANPR cameras in the UK for 20+ years

▲ chaps 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

FWIW, CCTVs in the UK weren't exactly loved either: https://www.wired.com/2007/12/burning-british/

  "Motorists Against Detection, the vigilante anti-speed camera group have announced a summer of MADness which will see them target for destruction all speed cameras in the UK. It’s now going to be a period of zero tolerance against all speed cameras, said their campaigns director Capt Gatso. (((A remote descendant of General Ludd, I reckon.)))"

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physicsguy a day ago | parent [-]

Speed cameras are less liked for sure but ANPR is typically used to catch people who have not paid their vehicle tax or who have not got their annual car safety check done (MOT) but are continuing to drive

	▲	chaps a day ago \| parent [-]
		Totally. But I just gave one example of the anti-camera activism from the UK at the time! There was a lot more than just this.

▲ goatlover 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Fitting since 1984 was set in London.

▲ ycui7 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

they need a competent gov contractor. recognizing license plate is a fully solved problem many years ago.

▲ toasty228 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Daily reminder that Flock safety cameras contain about 1 to 5 grams of gold in their internal circuit boards and wiring, and between two and 23 pounds of copper.

	▲	weezing a day ago \| parent \| next [-]
		With this attitude no wonder prisons in your country are overloaded.
	▲	cmxch a day ago \| parent \| prev [-]
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▲ cmxch a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

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▲ aaron695 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

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