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by yorwba 3532 days ago
> goverments does this and no one bats an eye

> Like you noticed it's not really clear who uses those cameras

I think you missed that parent was talking about "businesses and private people" using cameras and government wanting to have a register of camera ownership.

From my experience in Germany, surveillance cameras you see in public will be

1. in train stations: there are warning signs to notify you that you will be filmed

2. outside an apartment building, pointing at the door (to discourage burglars)

3. inside a store, pointing out the front window (burglars again)

4. on private property, surveilling said property (trespassers and burglars)

All of these uses are subject to regulation concerning how much public space can be filmed. There was a case of a murderer/rapist (can't remember exactly) being caught walking by a store's front camera. The police were happy to take the tip, but the storeowner was still fined for violating the regulations.