I don't have a specific suggestion, but here is what comes to mind:
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I don't have a specific suggestion, but here is what comes to mind:
- Violation of human rights and civil liberties in order to gain power over others is always justified with noble-sounding excuses like protecting people and property. The reality does not match the claim.
- Once violated, privacy of information is almost impossible to restore.
- Anything that can be abused to someone's gain will be abused eventually, if not immediately.
- Relying on a benevolent gatekeeper (even yourself) to prevent abuse of your tech will eventually fail.
- The name V0LT Predator evokes the feeling that it's something the world needs less of, not more.
Whenever I find myself on a fine line like the one you're trying to walk, I consider whether I'll look back on my life and be proud of what projects/causes/changes to the world that I advanced with the time and talents that I have.
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System shared this topic on
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I don't have a specific suggestion, but here is what comes to mind:
- Violation of human rights and civil liberties in order to gain power over others is always justified with noble-sounding excuses like protecting people and property. The reality does not match the claim.
- Once violated, privacy of information is almost impossible to restore.
- Anything that can be abused to someone's gain will be abused eventually, if not immediately.
- Relying on a benevolent gatekeeper (even yourself) to prevent abuse of your tech will eventually fail.
- The name V0LT Predator evokes the feeling that it's something the world needs less of, not more.
Whenever I find myself on a fine line like the one you're trying to walk, I consider whether I'll look back on my life and be proud of what projects/causes/changes to the world that I advanced with the time and talents that I have.
You're bringing up many of the points I regularly consider working on this project. It boils down to the fact that this technology is widespread, and will continue to be widespread regardless of my actions. The catalyst for starting this project was when I learned what Flock ALPR cameras looked like, and noticed how widespread they were. I wanted to build something that could replace them without compromising privacy.
It's difficult, since there's an argument to be made for both sides. I'd argue that the existence of Predator gives an alternative to to invasive products like Flock ALPR. But at the same time, I think it'd be great to live in a world where this technology required warrants, transparency, and other oversight from the start.
Regarding the name, Predator seems to be a bit of a point of contention. As a point of clarification, Predator does way more than just ALPR. It's a fully featured dash-cam with object recognition, deep vehicle integration, and more. In nature, predators often have sharp vision and quick reflexes which was the main motivation. It also opens up some clever branding options. For example "Predator Apex" is the commercial side of Predator, and each preassembled product is named after a predator (Scorpion, Owl, Falcon, etc.) Additionally, other brands in the automotive/law enforcement space tend to have rather sharp sounding names as well ("Cobra", "Dragon Eye", "Stalker", etc.)
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You're bringing up many of the points I regularly consider working on this project. It boils down to the fact that this technology is widespread, and will continue to be widespread regardless of my actions. The catalyst for starting this project was when I learned what Flock ALPR cameras looked like, and noticed how widespread they were. I wanted to build something that could replace them without compromising privacy.
It's difficult, since there's an argument to be made for both sides. I'd argue that the existence of Predator gives an alternative to to invasive products like Flock ALPR. But at the same time, I think it'd be great to live in a world where this technology required warrants, transparency, and other oversight from the start.
Regarding the name, Predator seems to be a bit of a point of contention. As a point of clarification, Predator does way more than just ALPR. It's a fully featured dash-cam with object recognition, deep vehicle integration, and more. In nature, predators often have sharp vision and quick reflexes which was the main motivation. It also opens up some clever branding options. For example "Predator Apex" is the commercial side of Predator, and each preassembled product is named after a predator (Scorpion, Owl, Falcon, etc.) Additionally, other brands in the automotive/law enforcement space tend to have rather sharp sounding names as well ("Cobra", "Dragon Eye", "Stalker", etc.)
I think it’d be great to live in a world where this technology required warrants, transparency, and other oversight from the start.
Me too.
It boils down to the fact that this technology is widespread, and will continue to be widespread regardless of my actions
That same reasoning has been used innumerable times throughout history. I suppose each of us must decide whether we think it holds water. It reminds me of an old adage: No single drop believes it is responsible for the flood.
Predator does way more than just ALPR.
I know. I looked it up. I mentioned the name not because I think it represents what it does, but rather to point out that it will affect how people feel about you and your work, even if in subtle, imperceptible ways. It's up to you to decide whether you're comfortable with that.
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