Back to speeding and cameras briefly - privacy

[Roland Perry]

In article <memo.20000801111338.388B@office.mandarin.com>, Richard D G
Cox <Richard.Cox@mandarin.org> writes
>Roland Perry <roland@linx.net> suggested ...
>> you can circumvent all the vehicle surveillance by spending ten quid on
>> a set of false numberplates. Even stereotypical "stupid" criminals will
>> know how to do that.
>
>Possibly not.  Remember how we catch people who clone mobile phones?
>Either by spotting a (serial) number that has not yet been issued by the
>manufacturer, or by checking for two "registrations" of the same number
>closer together in time than is consistent with the geographic separation.
>
>And so it will be with these cameras; trivial to check that the number has
>been allocated (and even whether a SORN has been filed for that vehicle!)
>and it may also be that in daylight the cameras can log the colour of the
>vehicle's front paintwork to check against both previous registrations and
>the colour as notified to DVLA.  

Most of the time, adding a "1" to the number will result in at least the
same make and model, if not the same colour. Garages register blocks of
numbers and allocate them to vehicles as they arrive from the factory.

>So unless you are very careful, using a
>set of false *UK* numberplates is likely to get you spotted whether you
>are committing any other crime (or have just "come to attention") or not.

Just like using encrypted email or an overseas server might draw
suspicion upon yourself.

The difference with number plates is they have to physically catch you
first. Remember, they can take your photo until they are blue in the
face, but without an address to match up with our false number plate,
they'll have to resort to more drastic measures to actually nab you.

>However I gather that these cameras are designed to register numberplates
>on the front of the vehicles.  That bit of the arrangement's fine by me.

I saw a car without a front number plate yesterday. It was a rather wide
and low american looking coupe. There was nowhere obvious on the rather
pointed front bumper to put a number, and indeed it had none!
-- 
Roland Perry