An Australian driver has branded new surveillance cameras on our roads an ‘invasion of privacy’ and questioned why there are no ‘warning signs’.
Layla Ellaz, 32, filmed and placed a mobile phone detection camera on Punchbowl Road, Punchbowl, in Sydney’s south-west TikTok on Thursday.
The Sydney driver wondered why people weren’t told about the towering cameras, which sit atop a small crane.
‘Why don’t we get warning signs that look like mobile speed cameras? Isn’t this also an invasion of our privacy, you see in our car?’ she said.
Ms Ellaz, who joked that her solution would be to stop wearing trousers, doubled down on her privacy concerns.
Ms Ellaz mounted her phone on her dashboard and filmed the camera to show people how similar it looks to power lines and that there are no warning signs (pictured)
32-year-old driver from Sydney (pictured) said aerial cameras are an invasion of privacy and warning signs are a ‘constitutional right’
“I don’t have a problem with not using a phone while driving, I have a problem with how it’s okay to take pictures from above in people’s cars,” she wrote.
In the video, a yellow trailer could be seen on the grass across from Perry Park, with a crane carrying the camera mounted above the road.
Ms Ellaz said the unit resembles overhead electrical lines.
‘Do you see the yellow box hanging on the left? Looks like electricity. There you are. You mother effers,” she said.
“That’s to catch you using your cell phone.”
Some Australian drivers agreed with Ms Ellaz, but the majority did not share her concerns.
“What are you doing in your car that you don’t want them to see,” one person wrote.
‘Why would you need a warning sign not to be on your phone while driving? It’s not that damn hard,” wrote another.
“Wait until someone in your family gets hurt or killed by a driver using their phone, and your tune will change!” said another.
Ms. Ellaz also wrote that she was concerned about whether the people showing the images could be trusted.
Transport for NSW doesn’t want warning signs because they want drivers to do the right thing and stay off their phones. They are more likely to do this if they think they could be caught at any moment. (shown a stock photo of a portable cell phone detection camera)
‘Are the people who check those cameras screened with police checks and do they work with child checks?’ she said.
The 32-year-old said Yahoo she was concerned about the height of the camera and how ‘Big Brother’ is now infiltrating the internal car spaces.
“If only our vehicles had a ‘privacy mode’ button to protect us from accidental crotch and cleavage shots,” she said.
“At the very least, a sign indicating the presence of the device or confirmation of the photo capture would create a level playing field.”
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said all photographs taken, stored and used do not breach the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.
“When a potential violation is detected, the images are pixelated and cropped to protect privacy before the images are reviewed by authorized personnel,” they said.
Transport NSW said computers monitor images and are permanently deleted if the driver does not commit any offences. For those who do the wrong thing, the photos are cropped and pixelated before the staff checks the image
Software reviews all images – not people – and if no violation is found, the images are permanently deleted, usually within an hour.
The fine in NSW for using a mobile phone while driving is $387, or $514 in a school zone, in addition to five demerit points.
The Transport for NSW spokesperson also said the cameras do not have a warning sign so they can catch people doing something wrong.
The government wants to stop motorists from using their phones while driving to make the roads safer, by telling motorists they can be caught anywhere, anytime.
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the cameras save lives and are a preventive measure.
Mr Khoury also said a driver’s ability to safely operate their vehicle is reduced when looking at their mobile phone – it is ‘almost like driving drunk’.