Surveillance Camera Video Finding Its Way To YouTube

from the you-have-no-privacy-anywhere dept

Thu, May 24th 2007 5:13pm — Mike Masnick

While governments like to talk about how security and surveillance camera footage is in safe hands with the government, it probably won't surprise many of you to find out that's simply not the case at all. Officials in New Jersey are apparently increasingly annoyed to find highway surveillance video of highway accidents consistently finding its way to YouTube. They're trying to crack down on the practice, but that seems unlikely to be particularly effective. This seems like a good time to second the call for some recognition of "Harper's Law": "The security and privacy risks increase proportionally to the square of the number of users of the data." Remember that the next time the government wants to set up some large database and insists your data will be kept private. Update: And now, New Jersey is suing YouTube over the videos. Nice work there. The state is unable to keep the videos private -- and rather than punish themselves, they sue YouTube.

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15 Comments

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Komataguri, 24 May 2007 @ 6:21pm

When there are people involved, information will become public.

The only thing we can do is limit the damage by NOT bowing to the governments desire to create an all inclusive database that will have everything from your name, address and bloodtype to your favorite color and political views.
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Mr. R, 24 May 2007 @ 6:55pm

Secrets
Reminds me of the saying: Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead.
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zcat, 24 May 2007 @ 7:24pm

another saying..
If two know it, it's no secret.
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shaz, 24 May 2007 @ 7:43pm

self development
three is a crowd who will shout it out loud
two is a secret to which they have vowed
1 is a silence that cant be broken

but this aint a comment about my lyrical token

________________________________________________
A journey of a young, UK based, Muslim
http://www.islam4me.co.uk
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Sanguine Dream, 24 May 2007 @ 10:02pm

Great...

The state is unable to keep the videos private -- and rather than punish themselves, they sue YouTube.

Let me guess they are suing for some form of infringement right?
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Ajax 4Hire, 24 May 2007 @ 10:31pm

Sunshine laws, there is a reason they are called
Sunshine laws.
You cannot hid you activity under a rock for long.
If it is the government, then it is you.

You cannot sue the government because 'it' says that you would be suing yourself. This also means that the government cannot sue the people because that is the people simply suing itself.

Government cannot keep secret just because it might embarass someone.
Sunshine laws.
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Avatar28, 25 May 2007 @ 12:45am

aren't government created videos public domain?
Like with the lawsuit over the copied C-span videos. The lawsuit had no legs because the video was shot by the government and therefore is automatically public domain. Would the same rule not apply to the traffic camera videos? In any case, sounds like NJ is about to get a good explanation of the Streisand Effect.
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- Totoro, 25 May 2007 @ 3:59am
  
  Re: aren't government created videos public domain
  What's the Streisand Effect? Sorry to ask, but I'm in the UK, and have clearly missed something.
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  - Faceless Minion, 25 May 2007 @ 6:26am
    
    Re: Re: aren't government created videos public do
    In short, with the dawning of the interwebs, the more you try and cover up something once its out into the net, the more publicity you generate for it.
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Sea Man, 25 May 2007 @ 7:54am

not suprised
The key words here are "New" and "Jersey".
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Hagbard Celine, 25 May 2007 @ 9:47am

Best of Mall Cop videos?
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Hagbard Celine, 25 May 2007 @ 9:49am

Best of Mall Cop videos?
Hey, ix-nay on the cop-car videos. I want to see Mall Cop "Best of" compliations! THink about all the teenage tarts that the average suburban mall contains. Think about all the surveillance cameras. THink about bored, minimum-wage mall cops. Do you think that a huge quantity of micro-mini-skirt, nipple-popper and cleavage videos don't exist? Do these show up on You-Tube?
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Coises (profile), 25 May 2007 @ 1:30pm

public + public + public + public = state secret?
A public entity uses public funds to set up a camera to record occurences in a public place --- presumably without a warrant, since there would be no specifics known in advance, and therefore presumably doing nothing that would not be permissible for any ordinary member of the public. Can someone explain to me why the resulting video wouldn't be public property anyway? If I do something embarassing in the middle of Main Street, since when do I have a complaint if someone publishes a picture of it? Peeking in my window is one thing, but if I make an ass of myself in front of your face, isn't that my problem?
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Clueby4, 25 May 2007 @ 2:30pm

Copyright Law - Government works
INAL, but aren't government's and their contractor's (ie "Work for Hire") EXEMPT from copyright protection?!?
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tilak ahuja, 1 Dec 2010 @ 8:52am

Business Alarms
it is good on Surveillance Camera Video Finding Its Way To YouTube. In short, with the dawning of the interwebs, the more you try and cover up something once its out into the net, the more publicity you generate for it. It is good one. http://safetechalarms.com/
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