I hear that kind of sentiment due to the amount of CCTV they have in London specifically & enforcement of the online safety act using the excuse of "it's to protect the kids" with age verification becoming standard when all that's doing is making people bypass all that.
I wonder why most stores prefer "cashless only" under the guise of convenience (kind of makes sense when you understand the ulterior motives) coming at a cost of making cash extinct with the government wanting to conduct espionage on the average joe.
The thing is, with potential digital ID (which is BS by the way) since people can just use the Gattaca card by changing their entire life and identity living under an assumed name and genetic code or just play dead by declaring themselves as deceased (on record).
As in, the individual is "dead" (living as someone else) as cameras can only surveil the living. Even resort to having facial bone structures entirely altered like plastic surgery. Fake ID's are being used to take advantage of AI estimated age verification.
Just to counter balance the discussion, no.
Yep, lots of shops, cafes have a small camera in the corner, but most are.either broken or only live - ie no recording. And they accept cash... in fact lots of takeaways only take cash.
There's ANPR on major roads, but not on minor ones. (I recall there is / was? an app for tracking where ANPR cameras are located on OSM maps)
I can go about my life with very little surveilance, but I don't live in a major city.
I was also told recently thelat even the mobile speed detector vans publish - rougly - where they'll be on Facebook, so it's not all bad.
But, digital surveillance (think of the kids / terrorists) is definitely eroding privacy and affecting the general public to move in the wrong direction.