this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2026
555 points (98.9% liked)

Technology

87550 readers
3227 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
[–] callous_trog@lemmy.zip 140 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

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

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 104 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

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

[–] AgentSeven@lemmy.zip 37 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

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

[–] WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks 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 35 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Wait till you hear about health insurance

[–] WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

You're right, I should've waited... This is fucked.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks 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 10 points 2 weeks 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.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] kamee@lemmy.zip 30 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Dude's probably on his way to the ATM machine

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Quick! What's his PIN number‽

[–] fleem@piefed.zeromedia.vip 7 points 2 weeks ago

nobody got it smh my head

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] dwalin@lemmy.world 112 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] muzzle@lemmy.zip 46 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Funwayguy@lemmy.world 81 points 2 weeks ago (6 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.

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 19 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

DO BOTH

(defense in depth)

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 weeks ago (13 children)

Can’t you make patterns in infrared reflective paint?

[–] ag10n@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

Here comes the sun, do do do do

[–] lemmyvore@feddit.nl 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks 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 26 points 2 weeks 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 (11 replies)
[–] MangoCats@feddit.it 9 points 2 weeks ago

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

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 32 points 2 weeks ago (2 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 13 points 2 weeks ago

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

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] einkorn@feddit.org 27 points 2 weeks ago

Fighting fire with fire.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 24 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 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 10 points 2 weeks 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”.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] flandish@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

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

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago

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

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks 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 19 points 2 weeks 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.

[–] Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Should have done random license plates

[–] crank0271@lemmy.world 29 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

From this bit in the article:

The pattern does not stop a camera from recording. Instead, it is designed to prevent the software connected to the camera from recognizing what it sees. A person or car wearing the pattern would still appear in the footage, but the detection system may not flag it as a person or vehicle.

I wonder if these systems won't "notice" and record the license plate on its own if they don't think there's a vehicle present.

[–] Steve@startrek.website 13 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Detected smudge with license plate. SWAT team has been dispatched.

[–] otacon239@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

That’s the trick, though. With these patterns, the camera doesn’t even recognize that there’s a car there at all.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

More likely is that these companies will just update their models to identify these vehicles once again. Furthermore, patterns like this make the car really stand out from the crowd which is a terrible way to disguise yourself.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] RaoulDook@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Benn Jordan did a video on that, he was able to add patterns of stuff to make plates unreadable by ALPR systems. He didn't share the pattern for people to use as it may be illegal, but you can see it in the video

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks 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 12 points 2 weeks 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)
[–] decolo@piefed.social 12 points 2 weeks 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 8 points 2 weeks 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)
[–] Gork@sopuli.xyz 11 points 2 weeks ago

Give 'em the ol' Razzle Dazzle

[–] REDACTED@infosec.pub 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

For some reason I imagined a car covered (colored) in fake license plates

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Seems like a good way to get stopped by police and have your car impounded.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›