Omeleto
1 HN recommender · recommended in 9 months, 2022–2026
15:04 · 1.9M views · Mar 12, 2021
A short Australian dystopian film in which a man returns home to find citizens fining each other for infractions via a government app, with cameras everywhere.
HN cites it as a vivid illustration of where automated enforcement, digital ID and crowd-sourced policing could lead.
10 comments from Hacker News
We already live in a tyrannical "Utopia" - this particular stomping of rights is actually a scene in this short film, which was a joke when it was filmed just a few years ago - BTW, it's worth spending a few minutes to watch the whole thing... this video (The car scene is less than a minute and a half in...)
The trenches will eventually be overwhelmed regardless. Once the government has AI and sensors, it will mandate its ubiquitous use. For minors, we have this lovely law coming in NYC: that will broadcast to everyone that you’re a minor: [LINK] But let’s talk about around the US. For example, all cars manufactured in 2029 and onward will be required to have a built-in alcohol detector / breathalyzer and to shut down and not let you drive if they detect your blood alcohol level is too high: [LINK] And in 2027 — next year — new cars are required to watch where you are looking, how much you’re blinking or nodding and alert authorities if you aren’t alert enough: [LINK] And it’s not just the US government. That phone in your hand? Governments have mandated tha all vendors preinstall spy software, filters and apps on it, that are not removable: [LINK] Also these phones no longer shut down when you shut them down. They continue operating and sending telemetry so the government can eventually know where they are at all times. [LINK] This is in addition to the interlinked CCTV cameras that are the norm in various cities (eg in the UK), new Flock cameras in US, etc. But the government doesnt even need Flock or Ring to cooperate. They have plenty of their own housing programs to install thousands of cameras to spy on citizens 24/7, and can now deploy AI to sift through it all. Here in NYC we already have the lovely Domain Awareness System: [LINK] To sum up: the government can know what y
In my opinion that system would not only be heavily abused as dave4420 mentioned, but monetary damages invoked by fellow drivers would lead to road rage wars and people being followed to their place of residence or work. People are already divided and unhealthy. I think this would amplify those issues. Here [1] is a short film covering the best case scenario of what this might look like. If the goal is safety then I believe that would require re-engineering all the roads so that people can not hurt anyone if they tried but that's a big topic in and of itself and ultimately too expensive for any governments to adopt. It's not a technical challenge. Perhaps a less risky option may be to send Dash-Cam video footage to the highway patrol or police and let them sort it out if they feel that person is a big enough risk. That keeps law enforcement in the loop and keeps the reporting party out of it. This way it is not person-vs-person but person-vs-traffic court and thus if a person is fined that means a cop or a court agreed with you and you are no longer the judge, jury and executioner. Law enforcement could imply it was a road camera that caught them. The camera video footer should have GPS date/time, coordinates and speed. [1] - this video [video][15 mins]
Sad? Non-violent crime such as parking tickets, littering, playing the music too loud and petty theft should not involve armed officers showing up. This presents needless chances for escalation. The “defund the police” movement was onto something - but it has to be spelled out. - offload many of their jobs to metermaids and other ticket-issuers and keep armed POLICE for things like robberies, no-knock raids, breaking up fights and arresting violent criminals etc. Most civil disputes can be - and are - handled by banks and insurance companies. This includes auto accidents and credit card chargebacks. Not even the justice system (public courts) need to get involved, they handle thousands of cases a day. But don’t let everyone write tickets or it will go too far: this video
Sorry but I disagree. > maybe it should pull over, lock, and contact assistance to the extent the law allows for you to be pulled aside and deal with a simple ticket/instant fine, no need for due process (instant feedback + administrative approach to offences). My own property should hold me hostage on the side of some random street if a pothole causes a false positive for drunk driving in some inscrutable algorithm? Not in a million years. Don't punish me for other people's failings. [LINK] this video