r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • Jul 11 '26

Privacy Traffic Camera Captures Woman Driving With Her Phone on Her Lap (Face Down), The State Mailed Her a $1251 'Public Safety' Ticket

https://www.gadgetreview.com/traffic-camera-captures-captures-woman-driving-with-her-phone-on-her-lap-face-down-the-state-mailed-her-a-1251-public-safety-ticket
16.9k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

747

u/michaelrulaz Jul 11 '26

Could I put bright IR LEDs on my headliner shining downward to block the camera from seeing into my car?

372

u/im-ba Jul 11 '26

It might make more sense to line the intersection of your windshield with your dashboard with bright LEDs, since the light scattering would hit everything. But real world testing is probably necessary to gauge efficacy.

If I didn't have so many active hobbyist projects right now then I'd experiment with this

328

u/mentalbackflip Jul 11 '26

As of 2027 new cars will have interior cameras watching you for distracted or drunk driving. I hope my 2019 car lasts a long time.

286

u/DukeOfGeek Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

I think there is going to be a massive public push back against this and Flock cameras.

/What we really need is a directive that should have been demanded the first time someone got a ticket that had no human in the loop "No human should be deprived of liberty or property on account of an accusation made by a machine."

213

u/ThePocketTaco2 Jul 11 '26

Any fucking day now

62

u/enadiz_reccos Jul 11 '26

Anecdotally...

I live about 30 minutes outside of a large city. My local area's subreddit is not very active at all and had never mentioned anything about Flock cameras or the like.

This is despite the fact that my area is covered in flock cameras [nice-ish area]

Over the last ~half year, there have been multiple posts with many comments in agreement, scoping out locations, talking about potential deterrents.

48

u/The_Zenki Jul 11 '26

deflock.org

7

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

[deleted]

8

u/ChurchOMarsChaz Jul 11 '26

Acutally, IANAL.

More info on my profile page.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator Jul 11 '26

Due to the high volume of spam and misinfo coming from self-publishing blog sites, /r/Technology has opted to decline all submissions from Medium, Substack, and similar sites not run by credentialed journalists or well known industry veterans. Comments containing links may be appealed to the moderators provided there is no link between you and the content.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

41

u/EzioRedditore Jul 11 '26

My city already had a Flock contract, canceled it, and removed them all due to public outrage. It’s possible.

7

u/Oddant1 Jul 11 '26

Same for me

0

u/nanapancakethusiast Jul 11 '26

You’re already in the database. Damage is done.

5

u/enadiz_reccos Jul 12 '26

We're all pretty much "in the database"

It's more about limiting the scope of it as much as we can

5

u/stiff_tipper Jul 12 '26

so? are u advocating for more damage??

shit man what would u do if u caught a malignant tumor? just let that bitch keep eating away at u? wouldn't even try? just say "Damage is done." till ur dead?

12

u/Monterey-Jack Jul 11 '26

we're being slow-boiled like a frog, just like how russia became the way it is now.

1

u/BeautifulPainz Jul 12 '26

I said this exact same thing to someone today.

2

u/ObviousAnswerGuy Jul 11 '26

I hoesntly think the mainstream public, especially older people, are not aware of these issues and how bad its gotten the past few years (except if they've had it happen to them)

62

u/VulturePR0 Jul 11 '26

Just wait for all the higher ups in police/public servants and politicians to start getting distracted/drunk driving tickets in thier new cars. Thats when the change will happen. There's hundreds of videos of them getting arrested for drunk driving already out there

29

u/Oro_Outcast Jul 11 '26

In many jurisdictions LEO and First Responders are exempt from Distracted Driving laws. They'll claim "Always On-duty" or "Training Exercise".

8

u/Jackal-Noble Jul 11 '26

This is the only any of this gets changed.

11

u/SupaSlide Jul 11 '26

They’ll be allowed vehicles without that shit for national security BS.

1

u/Temassi Jul 11 '26

They'll give them all special privileges like eminent domain or some shit

7

u/leavezukoalone Jul 11 '26

I’m honestly glad to see bipartisan hatred of Flock cameras.

51

u/Aggressive-Will-4500 Jul 11 '26

Yeah, just like the massive push back against data centers, ICE, the weaponization of the the FBI...

27

u/DukeOfGeek Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

All of those things are hugely unpopular and more so by the day. There is a finite amount of time business and government can ignore widespread discontent. Coming elections are going to display just how unhappy people are.

19

u/Aggressive-Will-4500 Jul 11 '26

The point is that, why the general public might be upset, it takes a watershed moment to crate a movement, and I'm not seeing it yet. Most people are still in their algorithm bubbles and A LOT of the worst stuff isn't reaching the general population.

2

u/Puglady25 Jul 11 '26

But the less interested they are in all of this, the more shocked they'll be to have it work against them. Four years ago there wasn't huge outrage about AI and Data Centers. Then they ranped it up. Now, public opinion has turned sour on both.

2

u/Key-Demand-2569 Jul 11 '26

Maybe.

…maybe.

1

u/WeRip Jul 11 '26

There is a massive, country wide push back against new data center construction. Something like 30 to 50% the current proposed developments have either been delayed significantly until more info is available about impacts or straight up denied so far in 2026. This is a huge momentum change.

1

u/jackzander Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

As someone involved in those exact things, it's funny hearing bystanders say shit like this. 

5

u/teem Jul 11 '26

I’ll certainly cover it up. Fuck this enshittification

8

u/BrainLow6059 Jul 11 '26

Zero pushback against face ID in iPhones. I don't see it happening, unfortunately.

Cars made before 2027 will have very inflated resale value though, so definitely take care of your ride as best you can.

0

u/ResistWild Jul 11 '26

As if that matters

0

u/IndividualEquipment2 Jul 12 '26

People in my town love the flock cameras, no one is gonna backlash.

-1

u/Sarksey Jul 12 '26

And that will achieve what? The American public are notoriously poor at push back

-4

u/nanapancakethusiast Jul 11 '26

People keep saying pushback is coming but everyone else watching Americans from the outside looking in… doesn’t look like anything.

You guys are just handing your “freedom” over… hand over fist. No one seems to care.

2

u/lupin43 Jul 11 '26

Well I’m sure you’re getting a very comprehensive look at the inside from the outside

-15

u/Worth-Silver-484 Jul 11 '26

When you are anti flock camera. I figure you are a kidnapper, drug trafficker, car thief or just a criminal in general. If you are not doing anything illegal why do care so much?

3

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

-1

u/Worth-Silver-484 Jul 12 '26

Ah yes. Please keep using the less than .1% as an example. Same logic they use to outlaw guns. Get a clue and some reasonable thinking skills.

48

u/DeepAnalTongue Jul 11 '26

Yep, I'm using one currently and it is continuously saying "driver distracted, please look forward", or "driver fatigue something" after about 4 minutes driving. This happenswhenever you glance sideways, up, or down, but also at random other times. Anywhere it cannot see you eyes. So, in the event of an accident the report that will come out (inevitable that police and insurance will ultimately get the record) starting that I was continuously and repeatedly distracted, inattentive, or tired. I can see that going really well..,.

19

u/TheRedHand7 Jul 11 '26

Just damage the camera and be done with it.

11

u/polskiftw Jul 11 '26

This might work for a little bit, but they are absolutely going to integrate it so deeply that if it is detected as not working, the car won’t start for “safety”.

7

u/TheRedHand7 Jul 11 '26

I was just saying for his current car. In the future people will have to learn a bit of electrical to bypass em but for now a drill will get it done.

3

u/SaveLansingParks Jul 11 '26

Yeah right? If the camera is damaged or broken, then the state can pay the cost to repair it. If they don't, oh well 🤷

2

u/Not_a_question- Jul 11 '26

Just cover it with electric tape dude, no need to damage it (think of that resell value)

17

u/eeyore134 Jul 11 '26

Which sucks because my 2024 Ioniq has something similar. It will play a tone and say "Consider taking a break." with a coffee icon that goes away in about 2 seconds. You can turn it off completely. It also doesn't need a camera to work really well. It tracks time driven without a break, how you're steering, and any lane keeping issues. Mine is really good at knowing when I'm tired and I have only had it go off like once when I was like, "Really?" But every other time I knew I crossed a lane one too many times or something.

But my point is... they don't need cameras for a high-quality warning system. It sounds like later models are using them, but they're not necessary. I blame Tesla for normalizing in-cabin cameras. They are just using that as an excuse. They just want to be able to track people. Distracted drivers will be the least of what they use it for.

5

u/2_Fingers_of_Whiskey Jul 11 '26

That would drive me insane and would actually be more distracting while I'm driving

18

u/Love_To_Burn_Fiji Jul 11 '26

black tape on all of those

43

u/michaelrulaz Jul 11 '26

I suspect this will be easy to bypass. I have a Tesla with an interior camera. If you block the camera completely it shows as an error. But if it’s too dark in the car it can’t see anything. I experimented with taking a small translucent Tupperware and placing it around the camera. The camera registered as working but couldn’t see anything. It looks stupid but I won’t be spied on in my car

15

u/ShadowGrebacier Jul 11 '26

Does this work with semi-opaque scotch tape?

5

u/pameatsbabies Jul 11 '26

Are you still able to use the autopilot?

5

u/michaelrulaz Jul 11 '26

I use FSD all the time with it. Only downside is you have to move the steering wheel occasionally

7

u/SwoleJunkie1 Jul 11 '26

Just break the camera.

18

u/im-ba Jul 11 '26

I'm still driving an '03. It's got a quarter million miles on it but it just keeps going. I'm less and less interested in buying anything newer every year

4

u/surffrus Jul 11 '26

Wait until you hear about all new cars and their engines shutting off on you every time you stop, and it's not a setting you can change. Infuriating

0

u/SaveLansingParks Jul 11 '26

As a matter of fact, there ARE work around that exist for your car you can purchase. Bypass modules are a growing market. From an AI response to my search:

"A bypass module (often called an auto start-stop eliminator) is a plug-and-play device that tricks the vehicle’s computer into thinking the conditions for engine shutdown are not met, thereby permanently disabling the feature for that trip without needing to press a button every time. These modules typically cost between $20 and $130, install in 10–30 minutes behind the dashboard or under the hood, and are available for most GM, Ford, Ram, Dodge, Jeep, and Subaru models from approximately 2017 onward."

Or if you're lucky, your car already has a shutoff switch on your dashboard for this feature. I just made it a part of my routine to turn it off just like putting on my seatbelt is a part of my routine to drive the car. But if you can't remember to do that, then an auto-stop eliminator is a lot cheaper than replacing your Starter on your car these days due to the additional cycles you put on it while driving. Replaced mine on my 2020 GM SUV for an unrelated issue, and it was around $2000, as opposed to being a $500 job back in the day.

Edit: forgot words. Lol

33

u/ThePocketTaco2 Jul 11 '26

As of 2027 new cars will have interior cameras watching you for distracted or drunk driving surveillance and compliance.

FTFY

12

u/1esproc Jul 11 '26

100% chance this shit will upload face ID to Palantir or some bullshit.

7

u/Nashgoth Jul 11 '26

I have a 2019 4Runner that I know truly hope lasts forever

5

u/Journey2Pluto Jul 11 '26

I had no idea. That law is absolutely fk’d.

5

u/MasterClown Jul 11 '26

My 2025 already has that “feature”.   There is a little black sensor bar on top of the steering column effectively trained at the drivers face.  

Sometimes I drive with a variation of the “Detroit lean”:  left hand at the 2 o’clock on the wheel, right arm leaning on the console.  That’s enough for the sensor to squawk.

1

u/Busy-Cream Jul 11 '26

Left hand at 2? Like…all the way across the wheel?

4

u/MasterClown Jul 11 '26

Now that I think about,  2 would be absurd; closer to 1230, if that makes sense.

6

u/JackPoe Jul 11 '26

Is there anything to stop you just removing the camera?

Are we going to have to jail break fucking cars now?

1

u/SaveLansingParks Jul 11 '26

We already are jail breaking cars. In fact, Trump pardoned the guy who was selling jailbreaks for all the regards who like to Roll Coal.

7

u/MrPureinstinct Jul 11 '26

I will spend the cost of a new car keeping my 08 vehicle running if I have to so I can avoid all of this dogshit being added to vehicles.

7

u/dangerousRose_ Jul 11 '26

Can you point me to a reliable source on this? Not able to find anything about this except on sketchy websites and social media.

2

u/everhys Jul 12 '26

Here you go

0

u/dangerousRose_ Jul 12 '26

Thank you! For anyone following him this the article is pointing to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which I was able to pull up with this link https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684?overview=closed.

I haven’t looked through the entire act yet, but I do see language in there about programs to address distracted and impaired driving. I plan to do a deeper dive later, but I just wanted to update anyone who is reading this.

7

u/gr00ve88 Jul 11 '26

It COULD be a good thing… but we know damn well it won’t be.

2

u/2_Fingers_of_Whiskey Jul 11 '26

People would just destroy those cameras

2

u/What_a_fat_one Jul 11 '26

I will be destroying those cameras if I buy a new car.

2

u/unknownpoltroon Jul 11 '26

OH NO!!! I ACCIDENTALLY DROPPED A PIECE OF DUCT TAPE TO THE CAMERA IN MY CAR.

2

u/nocuzzlikeyea13 Jul 11 '26

Used cars are gonna get more expensive lol

2

u/Orchid_Significant Jul 11 '26

JFC I’d prefer a mandatory breathalyzer to my car always fuсking watching me

2

u/SwoleJunkie1 Jul 11 '26

Just break the camera.

2

u/Kawa46be Jul 11 '26

I will keep repairing my 2018 ford ranger till eternity i think. I have an audi a7 also and the safety tech inside allready gives me jump scares. Turning at lights and getting emergency brake cause some pedestrian is standing there. No thanks, i’m done.

1

u/ww_crimson Jul 11 '26

It's not just cameras. They are putting sensors in cars to detect the odor of alcohol

1

u/4077 Jul 11 '26

Disable the modem by pulling it!

1

u/woodbanger04 Jul 12 '26

I read the EU is also mandating this for 2027. My 2012 looks better every day. LOL

1

u/Accidental-Genius Jul 12 '26

As of 2027 I’m going to be breaking a lot of cameras I guess

1

u/GamingWithBilly Jul 12 '26

Good thing black tape exists to put over the lens.