Just wonderful - from The Washington Post:
Devices on public buses in Maryland are listening to private conversations
The Maryland Senate on Tuesday delayed action on a bill that would clamp down on when public buses and trains can record the private conversations of their passengers.
Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings, which unanimously voted for the measure to move to the Senate floor, said he wanted the committee to address an amendment offered by some of those who are concerned about costs associated with the bill.
Actually, I am agreeing with this:
MTA began using recording devices inside some of its buses in 2012, without seeking legislative approval. Nearly 500 of its fleet of 750 buses now have audio recording capabilities. Officials say the devices can capture important information in cases of driver error or an attack or altercation on a bus.
Under the bill, recording devices would have to be installed near a bus or train operators’ seat. The devices would be controlled by the driver and could be activated only in the event of a public-safety incident.
They should go with HD video on a four-hour loop. If something breaks out, they can freeze the video and they will also see the actions that lead up to the event. If nothing happens, the data gets overwritten four hours later. This would be dirt cheap to implement.
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