[keiferski]

Is this actually a useful metric? Cities should be compared to cities.

Also, that link doesn’t seem to say whether cameras are owned by the state. Presumably surveillance operated by the government is more totalitarian than various private businesses.

[the8472]

"lawful access" interfaces can mean automatic access by the government. It's outsourced mass surveillance.

[JoeAltmaier]

In the movies and on TV, they always have to 'ask for the tapes'. Wonder how it really works now - the NSA already has it all?

[noarchy]

If those cameras have any kind of outside accessibility over a network, the NSA is probably just one of many with potential access.

[kwhitefoot]

See also:

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/28/anpr_sheffield_coun...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23005820

[strictnein]

The NSA doesn't have access to US security cams and couldn't care less about them. Come on people...

[noarchy]

>The NSA doesn't have access to US security cams and couldn't care less about them.

The same NSA that has vacuumed up phone and internet data, including that of US citizens?

[whatshisface]

Random people find access to unsecured networked security cameras all the time, of course NSA could find them if they wanted.

[JoeAltmaier]

From a personal point of view the valuable stat would be the likelihood I will be on camera, don't you think? Seems per-capita covers that?

[keiferski]

I guess, but I still feel that including NYC and rural Wyoming under the same metric makes it useless. Something like ‘Sq. Feet under surveillance’ might be better.