[clue-talk] surveillance cameras

[David Rudder]

I'm not sure these are the same cameras. I can't seem to find the 
cameras on Dry Creek or other places down south.

http://www.denvergov.org/tabid/37889/Default.aspx?link=http://www.denvergov.org/apps/traffic&title=Traffic%20Cameras

These cameras seem pretty well placed for traffic and pretty poorly 
placed for human surveillance. Not that I think this is okay, but it 
helps to see what they're actually recording.


On the other hand, there's these guys:
http://www.digatronsecurity.com/

They have an excellent product for home and store security, but it does 
seem like they're applying it to public surveillance. The "our clients" 
page lists the Colorado government, the TRex project and others projects 
that would imply that had something to do with the Dry Creek cameras. 
They also tout their facial recognition software, which gives me the 
willies.

I know of these guys because I tried to sell them a product once (an 
integration between a cash register and a camera, so you can say "show 
me a video of the guy who gave us a stolen credit card"). They're very 
nice guys and might even be willing to answer some questions *if you ask 
nicely*! Please remember that these guys are not the problem, they're 
the vendor.

-Dave


Sean LeBlanc wrote:
> On 09-17 19:51, Dennis J Perkins wrote:
>   
>> Has anyone noticed cameras monitoring our streets?  I don't know how
>> many streets have them, but County Line, Dry Creek and Mineral have
>> them.  I imagine that they were purchased with counterterrorism money. 
>>
>> We are becoming a surveilled society. 
>>     
>
> I've noticed cameras along Dry Creek,too - those ones up on those poles
> outside that one school? 
>
> Becoming? Maybe it's just a matter of degrees. Surveillance is a booming
> business. 
>
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11832024/site/newsweek/
>
> Oh, and we can ALL get that data soon, too. I doubt the scenario given about
> tracking an official having an affair is likely though. Some are more equal
> than others, and I know for a fact that data on judges is off-limits or
> expunged when it comes to driver records (at least in Colorado), so I
> imagine the same thing would apply to systems like this. All the data on the
> hoi polloi is fine, though: 
>
> http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/07/71436
>
> I actually know someone who told me there is a big company up in Ft Collins
> (forget name) that is/was hiring contractors, and their business is video
> surveillance, IIRC. He knew because the company also had presence in his
> area in Cali, and he mentioned it to me as they pay quite well, apparently.
> Most of the tools were MS stuff, though. I can't remember for sure, but I
> think some security clearance was needed, too.
>
> And, the use of spy satellites is going to "widen", apparently:
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/15/AR2007081502430_pf.html
>
> Hopefully, the so-called "oversight" is actually heeded. Ha! Hell, we had
> FISA, and the President blatantly violated it anyway. The fact that most
> people just wave(d) that off doesn't give me much confidence in resisting
> all these other surveillance schemes. Even the Democrats when they got into
> office didn't seem to do or talk much about it - in fact, IIRC, they took
> impeachment "off the table". WTF? What kind of opposition party is that?
>
> I imagine a lot of systems talked about for/deployed in Iraq will be brought
> home. I know there was talk of drones being used for civilian purposes,
> although I don't know if that ever got any legs. Here's a particularly
> alarming one, although I have no idea what sort of success rate it has/had:
>
> http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030701-darpa-track01.htm
>
> I cannot imagine that even if we left Iraq that the contractor(s) that
> built that system wouldn't want to sell that to cities back home. And
> without clear laws preventing it, it will happen. From the article: 
>
>
>  "The project's centerpiece is groundbreaking computer software that is
>  capable of automatically identifying vehicles by size, color, shape and
>  license tag, or drivers and passengers by face.
>  [...]
>  Its other projects include developing software that scans databases of
>  everyday transactions and personal records worldwide to predict terrorist
>  attacks and creating a computerized diary that would record and analyze
>  everything a person says, sees, hears, reads or touches."
>
> Chilling, no? 
>
>