If you come back to a parking spot to find your car’s been towed away, you’ve had a bad day. If you come back to find your car’s been towed because it potentially witnessed a murder, you’ve had a really bad day.
This is reportedly what’s happening in the US, where according to the San Francisco Chronicle, police are obtaining warrants to tow away Teslas that have been parked near crime scenes, in case their cameras have captured evidence of the crime.
It’s an extreme example of a growing trend, where footage captured on consumer devices is being used to assist police investigations. Whether it’s a video doorbell capturing a neighbour’s car being stolen, dashcam footage showing a traffic accident or passers-by recording an incident on their phone, police are increasingly turning to citizen-captured evidence.
For decades, the tabloids have been obsessed with “Big Brother Britain” and the number of state CCTV cameras capturing our movements. But with video doorbells fitted to a fifth of all homes, according to 2022 figures from Consumer Intelligence, and the wide variety of other video capture devices out there, privacy campaigners fear we are now truly living in a “surveillance state”. And that’s before we even consider related technology, such as AI facial recognition.
Is there anything consumers can do to prevent their devices being dragged into criminal investigations? And do we have to accept that our every move in public is likely now captured on video somewhere?
Chief witness Having your car towed away because it potentially witnessed a crime might sound like one of those “silly season” news stories where a threat is overblown, but legal experts believe that the use of such evidence is only likely to increase.
This story is from the November 2024 edition of PC Pro.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2024 edition of PC Pro.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Is it time to upgrade your business Wi-Fi?
Do you need to invest in a faster, more reliable wireless network? Steve Cassidy asks the key questions
On-premises business backup
Put your data at risk and you're putting your business at risk. Dave Mitchell explains how to put safeguards in place and what backup products can help
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
An excellent AI model for a wide variety of tasks: it's fast, versatile and the current leader for coding
SMART SPEAKERS
Whether your priority is audio quality, smart home control or always-on AI assistance, this group test holds the answer
Udio
A stunningly sophisticated service for creating just about any form of audio artistry from a text prompt
Runway
A powerful tool for video creators, but you'll need to invest time and money to take advantage
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus
A distinctive phone for those who want great battery life and a stunning screen without paying a fortune
CUKTECH 20
Good battery life, sleek design and a built-in display lift this power bank from the crowd
Sony Xperia 1 VI
A microSD card slot and 3.5mm jack mark this flagship out, but the price is too high
ReMarkable Paper Pro
Still troubled by lag, but this is a premium ePaper tablet that benefits from both a backlight and colours