I'm curious what the (presumably delusional) <i>for</i> case for this is. Like, why would anyone think this would even be useful? Is it to combat crime? It says something vague in the article about "rider safety" but I don't really get that. What sort of incident would require hearing conversations between riders? Do they want this so that if one person verbally harasses another rider they can prove it? It just seems like the obvious ease with which this could be abused is even more stark put next to the uselessness of this to the people installing it...
I would argue right to privacy until riding enough public transport and hitting enough incidents that make you wish someone was watching.<p>Some incidents:
1. A man as red as a tomato with anger yelling at the top of his lungs that he was going to kill a woman and following her out the door at Chicago’s blue line.
2. A woman begging with a toddler-aged child that was constantly drowsy / appeared sedated on a line multiple days, and weeks in a row.
3. The slashing of Nia’s throat in the Bay Area BART.<p>Eventually we stopped riding public transport, even if it was cheaper or more convenient/fun for the kids, because of fear of traumatizing incidents with little ones present. Its possible that the awareness of possibility of being recorded makes people behave better than they normally would. It’s also possible that public safety is better ensured if they know common abusers and somewhat reduce the abuse.
<i>paid for in full with a grant from DHS</i><p>That's the bit I was not expecting. I was expecting this to be about curbing crime on public transit. e.g. <i>audio evidence for stabbings and drug deals</i> but given the funding source perhaps more about preparation for something else? Maybe one of these conflicts? [0] I'm curious now. Given how long ago this started there must be more stories by now.<p>[0] - <a href="https://wikiless.org/wiki/Category:Conflicts_in_2012?lang=en" rel="nofollow">https://wikiless.org/wiki/Category:Conflicts_in_2012?lang=en</a>
We've had this kind of system on the public buses here in Vancouver,BC Canada for quite a few years now. There are cameras and microphones, as well as stickers placed around the bus indicating their presence.<p>Interestingly, they have not been installed yet on the newest section of subway, the "Canada Line", which has speaker phones for calling train control but probably do not activate unless someone presses the button. The stations have cameras, but the trains themselves do not, but the older trains on other lines appear to at least have cameras.
With the way wiretapping laws work and the bus operator not being a party in any of the conversations they surveil, I wonder if it's legal to be recording peoples' voices here.
Even the crap public transportation in Bulgaria has had cameras for many years. Of course they also have microphones. What, they just wanted to provide free wi-fi and contactless tickets? No.<p>Once it's there, it's there. Learn to live with the surveillance and don't do drug deals anywhere near cams/mics.<p>Ha, who am I kidding.
This article is from 2012, but it never ceases to amaze me that people will make excuses to strip themselves of freedom for a small semblance of safety that will never be.
> After the attorney general indicated that signs warning passengers of the surveillance would help combat any legal challenges, transit officials pressed forward with their plans<p>Amazing how Privacy and Civil Liberties get obliterated by stickers telling you so.
Restaurants do this too. The program used by Panera is called cafelistener. I have searched for it several times over the past few years, but there are no results returned (as of 5 minutes ago)
Ahh, so hospitals beated public transportation. Well, I still have my money on big box stores beating places of worship and "through your wall " surveillance beating park benches and street lights who spy on you.<p>Who else wants to play "1984: Vegas edition"? <i>laugh cries</i>
At this stage we could simply adopt german communist measures and simply intercept anything and everyone. Maybe make apartment walls thin enough so neighbours can spy on each other. We could create new branches of government and name them STASI, Securitate, NKVD or even KGB. Our phones, emails, computers and laptops are all tracked, private life on public roads is monitored on levels never imagined by said agencies. Crime is not really going down as a result so what is the actual motive behind all this? Has the western world sleep walked into a dystopian nightmare that makes china pale in scale and scope?