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.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: garbage, hidden camera, uk

19 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

wasnt me, 3 Jul 2008 @ 1:00am

haha best example ive ever seen of ur tax money being well spent.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
spiderwebby, 3 Jul 2008 @ 2:29am

Re: Camera Cost
tax dollors eh?
last time i checked we used pounds :P
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Lucretious, 3 Jul 2008 @ 5:02am

Goddamned brits love spying on their people.

George Orwell would've been a sad panda indeed.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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 :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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.......
[ link to this | view in thread ]
James, 3 Jul 2008 @ 6:16am

They should'a...
...put a gubment sign on it reading, "Do Not Remove - Hidden Camera"... LOL
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
no, 3 Jul 2008 @ 8:05am

no the presence of cameras doesnt stop crime.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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!"
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Jason, 3 Jul 2008 @ 11:32am

LUUUUUUCCCYYYY!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Jason, 3 Jul 2008 @ 11:44am

Luuuuuthy!!!! You ha got thomb ethplanin to do!!!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
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.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Overcast, 7 Jul 2008 @ 6:08am

When ya' got cameras EVERYWHERE, one's bound to get destroyed, sooner or later!!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Caren, 10 Aug 2008 @ 8:22pm

hidden camera
Waeek China Co. Professionally Manufacture Surveillance Security Camera, Spy Device System, home security,Security Surveillance Protection and Special Spy Solution in China. and Keep the Excellent Quality and Competitive Price Anyone Can be acceptable.
here is our website:http://www.waeek.com
[ link to this | view in thread ]
wireless camera, 25 Feb 2015 @ 2:31am

Wireless cameras
Micro audio video recorder

DVR ALL IN ONE

This device “all in one” for the audio/video recording thanks to its minimum size can be hidden almost anywhere, even in electronic devices. The DVR is able to make audio and video files of high quality, thanks to the hight resolution component video and to the powerful microphone preamp. Not only, with “All in one”, you can take great pictures in high resolution, with just one click.

The same device "All in one" can be used as a real environmental audio recorder because it offers the possibility to record only audio in wave files allowing a considerable saving of energy consumption of the battery and memory space.

http://www.endoacustica.com/eng_DVR_all_in_one.html
[ link to this | view in thread ]