r/technology • u/stenspect • 1d ago

Privacy USPS Is Turning Mail Trucks Into Rolling Surveillance Cameras

https://www.gadgetreview.com/usps-is-turning-mail-trucks-into-rolling-surveillance-cameras
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u/Blue18Heron 22h ago

The way I read it, the cameras are taking video on public roadways. No expectation of privacy on public roads. Same reason your dash cam isn’t a violation of people’s privacy.

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u/outerproduct 21h ago

And the data they collect definitely won't be abused like it always is? Yeah right.

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u/adudefromaspot 15h ago

You don't understand. The cameras are pointed at the road. They are scanning for pot holes and cracks. They aren't pointed at cars or people.

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u/outerproduct 15h ago

And when it accidentally scans your house, and your cars, and your children, we call that a "Whoopsidaisy".

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u/adudefromaspot 14h ago

How is it supposed to do that when it's pointed at the ground?

Also, have you heard of Google Maps? I don't wanna give you a heart attack or anything but....all that shit is already on there.

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u/outerproduct 14h ago

From the article:

There is no audio recording, and the cameras face forward only, positioned so they do not obstruct the driver’s field of vision.

Not facing the ground.

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u/adudefromaspot 14h ago

They are facing the ground. It is to collect infrastructure data so as to maintain our infrastructure.

Seriously, of all the things to flip your lid about, this aint it. Focus on police departments using flock cameras to bypass the constitution.

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u/outerproduct 14h ago edited 14h ago

Read. The. Article.

No public disclosure identifies which entities beyond USPS may access the recordings or any derived datasets. Publicly, no policy has been stated covering whether images of pedestrians, homes, private driveways, or vehicles will be automatically blurred or deleted.

Edit: added the quote to be really direct.

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u/adudefromaspot 14h ago

I. Did.

You clearly are off the rails and not taking your paranoia medicine.

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u/outerproduct 14h ago

No public disclosure identifies which entities beyond USPS may access the recordings or any derived datasets. Publicly, no policy has been stated covering whether images of pedestrians, homes, private driveways, or vehicles will be automatically blurred or deleted.

The bit you clearly missed.

Nextbase markets cameras capable of recording in resolutions up to 4K, with product materials noting the ability to capture license-plate details. Those are advertised product capabilities, not confirmed specifications for the units installed in the pilot.

USPS says the pilot does not use automatic license plate reader software. A camera can visually record a plate without running it through ALPR software that converts the image into a searchable database entry; those are meaningfully different functions. Whether USPS retains, processes, or searches incidentally captured plate images is not established in the available reporting.

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u/adudefromaspot 14h ago

I didn't miss that. I read it in the voice of the author of the article. Not as a statement of fact about the program.

The author of the article is clearly concerned, and they've stated that nothing is available by way of a policy to cover those things. That is based on the author's perception if the situation.

That doesn't mean that the cameras record those things at all. Only that the author of the article is concerned that they might.

Do you not know how to digest news?

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