cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/54842208
Any bike protect/community that allows posting personal information?
I live in the U.S.A. and don't have a car. This means that I bike/skate/walk nearly everywhere.
Road conditions seen to have gotten worse to the point where nearly every day I'm almost hit by an irresponsible car driver.
When I'm not walking, I have a dashcam that captures the cars, license plates, and even faces.
I want to develop an app/community that allows you to report these dangerous drivers, complete with their faces whenever possible.
However as I look at other similar projects, I haven't found any that allow this. Why is this?
According to this source:
There isn’t a satisfying “yes” or “no” answer to whether doxxing is illegal.
Generally speaking, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects individuals’ right to publish information that is considered a matter of public concern. However, if it isn’t a matter of public concern and/or it was published with malicious intent (to intimidate or cause harm), it’s no longer protected by the First Amendment.
Would I get in legal trouble by starting this app/community?
It doesn't seem fair that they can continue to harm or almost harm us pedestrians/skaters/bikers without possible recourse.
My goal with the app would be to make people aware of these drivers, because it's of public concern.
Does something like this exist already? If not, why not? What possible ramifications would there be for this type of app? Thank you in advance.
This is a question for your lawyer. If they are a sleazy lawyer, they'll tell you to go ahead, because they will make bank off you for the next few years.
If you want to do this, send the de-anonymised evidence to your local law enforcement, and post the anonymised stuff publically. Realistically, you cannot remember which driver is which while riding, so doxing provides nothing of value.
And flooding law enforcement with evidence is really the only way to fix things, only they have the power to do something.
But we wouldn't have to remember, since it's documented? Unless I misunderstood. And if there are repeat offenders, it is definitely easier to recognize and identify them by car and or some portion of their licence plate.
That's great... In the united states, law enforcement isn't exactly healthy right now. And they are very hostile towards bikes/skates/pedestrians. They always side with the car at fault.
My point about the memory is that when you are riding along, you aren't gonna see a car and go "Thats Mr X, better steer clear of them". Having the licence plates and personal details of 100+ bad drivers on an app somewhere doesnt make actual riding any safer. Awareness doesnt require de-anonymised data.
Staying silent or resorting to vigilantism doesnt solve that though. You should also pass the info on to your local representatives as well. Drown them in evidence until they are forced to act.
If I were to pass on the info to local representatives, wouldn't I still need to gather the data that I'm looking to collect in the first place? (Non anonymized)?
By this logic, wouldn't the app/community still be a good idea? Or are you suggesting maybe just a database where community members can submit the evidence of dangerous driving/drivers?
Collecting the de-anonymized data and storing it appropriately is fine, no objections there. Its the sharing of the de-anonymized data with the general public that is the problem.
So:
Doing that will raise awareness, without opening yourself up to unnecessary legal risks, and without turning your app/platform into a doxxing site.