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Cameras in UK for Toll Enforcement

Posted by Cliff on from the smile-you're-on-candid-toll-camera dept.

cosyne writes "Saw this story on BBC News about charging people £5 per day to drive in central London. The interesting part: they plan to use surveillance cameras to snap liscence plates and compare to a database of people who paid. That's the same as stopping terrorism, right?" We mentioned this issue in an earlier story. It's an interesting challenge: the UK authorities have a problem (too much traffic in London) which is not susceptible to the usual solution (too many ways into London, can't put tolls on all of them) and so they're looking for new solutions - except most of the possible solutions are privacy-invasive in one way or another.

3 of 572 comments (clear)

  1. Privacy by saphena · · Score: 2, Redundant

    except most of the possible solutions are privacy-invasive in one way or another.

    Here in the UK, a variety of new laws have made protection of privacy paramount in almost all private and commercial transactions. Pretty well the only exceptions allowable are those that the government has allowed itself.

    There are currently new rules being made which allow almost any government department, QUANGO, or local council to overrule the privacy laws for almost any reason.

    Big Brother rules OK!

  2. Data mining by GdoL · · Score: 0, Redundant

    If you build an database with this info and them use it with another database who tells when and where you use a cash machine and another database who tells what you buy and where. And even another db with your criminal records, medical records, edu records, etc., then you can use Data Mininig techniqes to profile people and gather them in groups. Those groups could be surveilleid if some criteria match with a profile considered dangerous

    --

    ------I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either.------
  3. Hwy 407 in Toronto does this too by Quixote · · Score: 1, Redundant
    The newly(!) constructed Highway 407 near Toronto also has cameras which snap your license plate and then bill you. As a Noo Yawker, I thought I was immune from this, and gleefully used it. Unfortunately, a month later a bill ended up on my doorstep. (which begs the question: how did Canadians get my home address from my license plate?) Still a Noo Yawker, I decided to ignore it until they started using the magic words "collection agency". Then I had to fight back. So I asked them: give me proof that I used your highway. Send me a copy of this "photo" that you took of my plates. Presto! No more bills! :-)
    Hee hee...