this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2026
317 points (98.8% liked)

Technology

87079 readers
3408 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago

Have they tried painting a fire hydrant a truck and and a bicycle on the back? Let's test if these cameras are a robot or not.

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 5 points 10 hours ago

To me, this looks a lot like taking one dose of a prescribed antibiotic. All it really succeeds in doing is training dazzle resistant strains of cameras.

Trying to trick the cameras is playing into an expensive game of cat and mouse. And sure, fine, that may work for a little while, but it's not a solution.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 14 points 14 hours ago

I'm not a big fan of adapting to fascism, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

[–] callous_trog@lemmy.zip 65 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

Seems like a great way to get rear ended by a Tesla autopilot driver.

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 49 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Seems like a great way to get an insurance payout from a Tesla autopilot driver.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 8 points 11 hours ago

You don't need dazzle paint to get hit by a Tesla.

I live in an area where Tesla and Waymo both operate taxis. Waymo is actually pretty solid. Those cars are some of the best, most-predictable drivers on the road. Tesla cabs are meth-addicted clankers.

[–] AgentSeven@lemmy.zip 14 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Except insurance has basically decided it doesn't need to actually pay for the most part.

[–] WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world 14 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

At some point people are just going to roll the dice on this bullshit. If they aren't gonna pay out when they should why are we even paying them? This seems incredibly criminal to deny payment while accepting increasing payments.

[–] Malyca@lemmy.zip 11 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Wait till you hear about health insurance

[–] baines@lemmy.cafe 3 points 10 hours ago

seems like a plumb er solution

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

If they aren't gonna pay out when they should why are we even paying them?

Because you can end up losing your car, being fined thousands of dollars, or in jail for driving without insurance. The fact the peasants get no value from it isn't important, you better keep paying!

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 2 points 14 hours ago

The figures don’t mean insurers rejected nearly half of otherwise valid claims. Claims can close without payment because another insurer covered the loss, a customer withdrew the claim, damages fell below the deductible or the loss wasn’t covered by the policy.

You can't just say this shit and then just dismiss it:

Still, the increase suggests motorists face greater scrutiny when seeking compensation for some of the most complicated and costly types of auto claims.

[–] kamee@lemmy.zip 18 points 18 hours ago (1 children)
[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 7 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Dude's probably on his way to the ATM machine

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 8 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Quick! What's his PIN number‽

[–] fleem@piefed.zeromedia.vip 3 points 13 hours ago

nobody got it smh my head

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 5 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

He's a geek. It's either 2112 (Rush) or 1701 (Star trek)

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 10 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago

It's not a bug, it's a feature.

[–] dwalin@lemmy.world 60 points 21 hours ago (1 children)
[–] muzzle@lemmy.zip 12 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I think the correct xkcd for this arms race is: https://xkcd.com/3167/

[–] Funwayguy@lemmy.world 41 points 20 hours ago (5 children)

This approach only works in daylight with cameras that rely on colour only. Infrared spectrum cameras such as what Australia uses on mobile phone traffic cameras are much harder to deal with. Patterns don't cut it and it's a huge part of military research into hiding vehicles from infrared spotters.

Disabling the cameras entirely is much more effective.

[–] MangoCats@feddit.it 5 points 13 hours ago

For IR you can feasibly run IR dazzle lights all over whatever you want to mask, including your face.

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 11 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

DO BOTH

(defense in depth)

[–] gothic_lemons@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago

Dumb question I have no idea how infrared light works and cameras. But what if my license plate was just constantly firing infrared light to counter act or "blind" the cameras?

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 6 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

Can’t you make patterns in infrared reflective paint?

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

Not really. We don't have materials that absorb or reflect infrared light. It's one of the reasons it's hard to beat inferred-guided (heat seeking) missiles, the only real solution is to drop something hotter than your plane, aka a flare.

So... get ready for a new era of commercial automotive flares I guess?

[–] anonymouse2@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 hours ago

What if I just hold a sparkler out my window?

[–] lemmyvore@feddit.nl 5 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

No need, you can just use an IR spotlight to blind the camera. Unlike the military you're not trying to hide the vehicle.

But either way you're actively trying to avoid being picked up by speed cameras so you get a fine.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 15 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

This isn't about speed cameras, it's about "safety" surveillance cameras. No laws have to be broken. Evading Flock isn't illegal

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 18 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

A fun experiment, but the real solution is preventing all the shit in the first place by government regulation.

I saw a post yesterday with practical suggestions about how to move that process along.

[–] BananaIsABerry@lemmy.zip 6 points 17 hours ago

The same governments that are pocketing the sweet Flock dollars to ignore public opinion?

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 12 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (3 children)

My solution so far is a bike rack that blocks my plate from view. Easy enough to feign ignorance and “correct it” in the moment. Flocks database no doubt has an entry for [color][make][model], but at least it’s not associated with me directly through motor vehicle bureau records.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 5 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I’m pretty sure based on previous reporting that they will just track you as “blue car with this specific model of bike rack”.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 3 points 14 hours ago

I am sure of that too. Best I can do is try to avoid linking it to my name.

[–] flandish@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago

adding it also logs your phone, earpods, etc signals alongside the car’s data.

[–] plateee@piefed.social 2 points 14 hours ago

Are you in one of the nice states that doesn't require front license plates?

[–] lastlybutfirstly@lemmy.world 1 points 11 hours ago

I wonder if WWI dazzle paint designs would work too.

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 18 points 21 hours ago

Fighting fire with fire.

[–] decolo@piefed.social 6 points 18 hours ago (5 children)

now find something that stops it from reading Bluetooth and other RF signals. I wonder if anyone has acquired one for security research

[–] deliriousdreams@fedia.io 3 points 15 hours ago

It would be simpler to just overlay Bluetooth or RF signals it can read with signals so numerous and strong that it is overwhelmed. The main problem with that is the size of the hardware you'd need.

You could pull the 20 phones in a trench coat thing that one guy did to create "traffic jams" where there were no cars.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 8 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Spend a large sum (for some) of money to make my vehicle look stupid vs. they can fuck off with their privacy-invading cameras.

I prefer "they can fuck off"

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 7 points 18 hours ago (5 children)

I mean at least they're trying..? Your alternative isn't really a solution

Spend a large sum of money on a suit of armor vs. they can fuckin stab me

I prefer "they can fuckin stab me"

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›