this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2024
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Everyone seems concerned about what it could be doing, not what it is doing.
I could sit next to a vending machine and make notes on the gender and sex of each patron for demographic purposes, nothing would be illegal.
Why? Well, that's easy, I want to stock my vending machine in order to make money. Instead of testing different layouts which would take a lot of time, I could predict how well certain stock would do based on preexisting market research.
This appears to be just that, but with a camera.
Now, you can argue "but it could be worse"! That's not a valid argument. It could always be worse for things you don't know about. If it holds up to be true, as stated, it's just what it is.
If you're sitting there taking notes it is obvious what you're doing and the users of the machine can opt out of using it. With hidden cameras, not so much.
It's a public space. You have no expectation of privacy. It's the same reason license plate scanners are a thing.
It's the automated equivalent of eyes.
Not every country has those laws, and in a lot of them you have expectation of privacy in public!