this post was submitted on 02 May 2026
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Privacy
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That number has got to be way too low.
Like, multiples of 100 too low.
Yeah, the "at least" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that headline.
Though I bet it's hard to prove so they might not be able to even glimpse a fraction of what really happens.
At least 14 times each, maybe.
Yes. I think we just have no statistics about it. Just one off examples. It's gotta happen way more than we have any idea of. If the power is there, it will be abused.
I always resist the meme level thinking that all cops are bad or w/e. This black and white thinking does the world no good. It just drives polarization and us-vs-them thinking. Reality is not so black and white.
Still, we need safeguards against public servants we entrust with power. We need to hold them accountable. Iindividuals when they betray the public trust. Also police depts who have corrupt cultures. Power corrupts. And some kinds of power are too much for anyone. They always lead to bad outcomes. Mass warrantless surveilance is one of those things. It's too much. It leads to erosion of democratic societies.
There are some rays of hope. In the country I live (US) many communites have pushed back against license plate surveilance! They have succeded. Sure it's still just a fraction. But it's a start! Shows we the public, we can fight surveilance. And win.
Here's one example. There are LOTS of others! Citizens banded together, and succesfully fought.