If You Must Make A Hidden Camera, Don't Make It Look Like Garbage

from the just-a-suggestion dept

Wed, Jul 2nd 2008 11:44pm — Mike Masnick

Here's one for the "didn't quite think that through, did you" files. Gizmodo points us to the news that British authorities trying to prevent illegal trash dumping put a hidden camera at a popular dumping site. The only problem was that they disguised the hidden camera (which cost somewhere around $20,000 -- I have no clue why it cost so much) as a trash bag, and neglected to tell the folks in charge of cleaning up the site. So, yes, they threw out the hidden camera. Whoops.

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Filed Under: garbage, hidden camera, uk

19 Comments

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wasnt me, 3 Jul 2008 @ 1:00am

haha best example ive ever seen of ur tax money being well spent.
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Paul, 3 Jul 2008 @ 1:22am

Camera Cost
The cost of the camera is so high because it is a high quality camera that has to be durable, have enough space to store 24+ hours of high quality footage and the ability to transmit it wirelessly, such as to a nearby van where the authorities are watching from.

It needs some pretty good batteries to run that long, and smaller lighter batteries cost a lot more.

Plus you have to add the government tax on it. You pretty much just double the price of it, and half of it is just tax dollars being spent elsewhere, that is how the government transfers funds between departments after an approved budget, so it looks good on paper but the money is still really just going to the war.
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- spiderwebby, 3 Jul 2008 @ 2:29am
  
  Re: Camera Cost
  tax dollors eh?
  last time i checked we used pounds :P
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Andy, 3 Jul 2008 @ 2:49am

Facts?
Why did it cost so much? - Because the hack that wrote the story made up an "estimate" as the ACTUAL cost wasn't disclosed.

"The council did not disclose how much the camera cost, but similar systems involving a minature video camera cost between £7,000 and £10,000."

So the "estimate" was $14k-$20k, the real cost isn't known.
Still it wouldn't be so funny and prove a political point if the camera only cost £150!

Next.
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tnetech, 3 Jul 2008 @ 2:49am

This is priceless, sort of
I love stories like this, reminds us that we are all human after all

News & Views, Installation Guides and How To's
http://tnetech.net
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Lucretious, 3 Jul 2008 @ 5:02am

Goddamned brits love spying on their people.

George Orwell would've been a sad panda indeed.
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Cassius Seeley, 3 Jul 2008 @ 5:15am

Just my two pennies
So why not just mount a big ugly camera there with a bright flashing red light on it. Then put a sign up that says dumping trash is illegal and we are watching.

I think this would pretty much stop people from dumping anything there. If not, then they have problems other than dumping trash inappropriately :) LOL

I am pretty sure the BIG OLD Ugly cameras are cheaper too :)
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Skippy T. Mut, 3 Jul 2008 @ 5:41am

Really?
Ever wonder where the government gets all that extra money that nobody knows about and never appears in budgets? Ever wonder how they fund illegal and covert operations? It's easy...tell everyone you spent $20,000 on a camera, and then say "oops, we lost the camera...gosh darn it!" Now you have $20,000 of squeaky clean money to do whatever you want with. Duhhhhhhh.......
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James, 3 Jul 2008 @ 6:16am

They should'a...
...put a gubment sign on it reading, "Do Not Remove - Hidden Camera"... LOL
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Jul 2008 @ 6:25am

why would you make the camera hidden? Woudn't an overtly placed camera that was actually monitored be more effective?
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- Mischa, 3 Jul 2008 @ 11:41am
  
  Re:
  Because they don't want to stop people dumping trash, they want to be able to catch and *fine* them.
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no, 3 Jul 2008 @ 8:05am

no the presence of cameras doesnt stop crime.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Jul 2008 @ 11:17am

ha ha ha ha ha ha
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

"DoH!"
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Jason, 3 Jul 2008 @ 11:32am

LUUUUUUCCCYYYY!
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Jason, 3 Jul 2008 @ 11:44am

Luuuuuthy!!!! You ha got thomb ethplanin to do!!!
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Tomalak Geret'kal, 7 Jul 2008 @ 12:44am

Well, more to the point, if they put up a big obvious camera at one dumping site, people will dump rubbish around the corner. If you hide a camera and catch them, you may have a chance to stop them ever doing it again.
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Overcast, 7 Jul 2008 @ 6:08am

When ya' got cameras EVERYWHERE, one's bound to get destroyed, sooner or later!!
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Caren, 10 Aug 2008 @ 8:22pm

hidden camera
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wireless camera, 25 Feb 2015 @ 2:31am

Wireless cameras
Micro audio video recorder

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http://www.endoacustica.com/eng_DVR_all_in_one.html
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