# Tiny Bytes: Jesus San Francisco

By [ldnovak](https://paragraph.com/@ldnovak) · 2022-07-22

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Jesus,

Why is San Francisco trying to be so surveillance heavy? The police are using driverless cars as cameras. They are trying to use door bells are real time video feeds. And they can get access to our digital data without a warrant.

This is dumb, creepy, and scary.

[https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7dw8x/san-francisco-police-are-using-driverless-cars-as-mobile-surveillance-cameras](https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7dw8x/san-francisco-police-are-using-driverless-cars-as-mobile-surveillance-cameras)

[https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/11/san\_francisco\_police\_private\_security\_cameras/](https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/11/san_francisco_police_private_security_cameras/)

[https://www.propublica.org/article/no-warrant-no-problem-how-the-government-can-still-get-your-digital-data](https://www.propublica.org/article/no-warrant-no-problem-how-the-government-can-still-get-your-digital-data)

San Francisco
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Just why? I hate this trend of increased surveillance. It’s bringing the worst of the digital world into the physical world.

I guess it’s crime rates and a way to show people are tough on crime? Is this actually effective at helping people? (my only experience with theft was a friend’s bike was stolen. We could prove it was stolen but the police couldn’t do anything with a video of the person who stole it)

I personally like the increase of self driving cars. I don’t want to have to drive again if I can help it. I HATE HATE that it’s being used to surveillance everyone.

Issues with Increased Surveillance
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I should do some research on this in the future. I don’t have facts but this all feels terrible to me. I hate the thought that because someone could go out with a camera in a public place and take pictures then it’s ok for MILLIONS of the same team to go out into a public place. The scale and impact are completely different.

I don’t know how much this helps. And I’m just angry reading this. I hate this. I hate this. It feels wrong and it feels like everyone all over the world just wants to spy on everyone.

I wish this would stop. I wonder what I can do to help.

Because I feel so strongly, I do also wonder if I have any blind spots here. Part of me gets the idea that the government elected by everyone can be given power by everyone to spy “for the greater good.” It just doesn’t feel right.

And I don’t know a good way to evaluate the harm / benifits.

Questions
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*   How prevalent is this trend of increased surveillance?
    
    *   World trends and tech trends?
        
*   What technologies require warrants and others don’t?
    
*   Does this increased surveillance actually lead to good outcomes?
    
    *   Seriously how is this measured?
        
*   What are good examples of how these systems are abused?
    
*   Are we allowed to know who is getting what information?
    
*   My guess is the people doing the surveilling don’t like to be monitored themselves…
    
*   How can we solidify a right to privacy in American law?
    
*   How can we increase technical innovation and thus improvements in life WITHOUT a de-facto increase in surveillance?
    

Good Frustrated Night,

Lucas

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*Originally published on [ldnovak](https://paragraph.com/@ldnovak/tiny-bytes-jesus-san-francisco)*
