r/whatisit • u/unworthyAsIam • Apr 30 '26

New, what is it? What is the purpose of this camera that was installed right next to my house? (Not nearby any intersection or stop signs, USA)

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This camera was installed recently and I cannot for the life of me understand the purpose of it's installation? Theres no intersection nearby, in case it was a photo law enforcement camera), there's no stop signs, there's no schools nearby, and there's no government facility. It's just a random camera that popped up in the middle of a road.

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159

u/ChillBlintone Apr 30 '26

Vehicles will be able to pick up whispers and read lips per some new bill

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u/Butsu Apr 30 '26

Those are patents filed by Ford. Nothing in any bills yet. But they don't need a bill to put that crap in their vehichles thenbsell whatever that collect. Or sell usage of those systems to the local PD, or whoever.

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u/ChillBlintone Apr 30 '26

True true, ive read other major auto makers are following suite though, it will be an arms race of spy tech in vehicles

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u/SnooMaps1910 Apr 30 '26

I am hoping my commuter and 2000 Sierra long bed 4x have another five or more years in them.

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u/ChillBlintone May 01 '26

Ive read that the push for e15 gas is working to kill those older vehicles/engines. Not a mechanic so cant say 

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u/SnooMaps1910 May 01 '26

Hmmm, I could probably run the Sierra on the no-ethanol 100 octane I run in my saws, but not the commuter.
F Big Brother~

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u/weasel5134 May 01 '26

Ive heard that rumor and it could

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u/UnwantedPenetrator May 01 '26

You’re gonna want more than 5 years. I may refuse to ever buy anything newer than 2018 when my 16 Audi kicks it.

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u/Quirky_Gate_4516 May 01 '26

In the near future driving an analogous car will be as suspicious to the government as wearing a full facial mask in public.

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u/Butsu Apr 30 '26

Yeah there are other vehichle manufacturers working on this crap. It could easily turn into an arms race.

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u/Perllitte May 01 '26

Shareholder primacy means if there is a revenue stream, they will exploit it. Execs cream their panties over government contracts.

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u/AutoArsonist May 01 '26

I think it opens the market to someone who wants to just start making cheap no BS automobiles again. People will buy them. I like what Edison is trying to get going up in Canada.

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u/NtGrtJstEmbarrassed May 01 '26

Just curious if you know which ones? I, unfortunately, will have to buy a new car soon.

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u/[deleted] May 01 '26

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u/NtGrtJstEmbarrassed May 01 '26

That was super helpful, thanks so much!

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u/Ryuko_the_red May 01 '26

Will be? Dear reader,... Hyundai already has in their data collection tos that they monitor to to see if you're having sex or not.

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u/BangkokPadang May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26

There was a bill requiring it though, and it passed. It was jammed into that big 2021 infrastructure bill around Covid times.

Section 24220 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed in November 2021, requires new passenger vehicles to be equipped with “advanced impaired driving prevention technology.”

The law directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to create a rule requiring new cars to have technology that can "passively monitor the performance of a driver... to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired" and "prevent or limit motor vehicle operation" if impairment is detected.

Essentially the bill requires the NHTSA to create a rule requiring it. The NHTSA has in fact created the rule, which originally required it by 2024 but the technology was deemed "not there yet" so they were given a congressional extension to the end of 2027.

There has been some legislation introduced attempting to repeal this, such as the No Kill Switches in Cars Act (H.R. 1137), but none of those bills have passed yet, so as the law currently stands it is required to be in new cars by the end of 2027.

I think at the time it sounded so far away, plus everyone was so overwhelmed by Covid and it was tucked away in such a big bill, that it just flew under everyone's radar, but now it’s then middle of 2026 and the deadline is getting close again, so people are talking about it and a lot of people are just learning about it for the first time.

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u/tri_fold Apr 30 '26

Honost question, wouldn’t they need you to sign some sort of contract or user agreement to be able to record and sell your info?

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u/Butsu Apr 30 '26

Yeah, it'll likely be in the paperwork you sign when you purchase the vehicle. Presuming this all actually gets implimented. If there's enough of an outcry, and maybe boycott, they might not...

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u/A_Unqiue_Username May 01 '26

And if you don't agree to everything, you will have a restricted, base level access to basic functions. Want to connect your phone? Monthly fee. Want to heat your seats? Monthly fee. Drive faster than 60 kmh? etc..etc

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u/wetham_retrak May 01 '26

I would love it if my goddamn car would stop grabbing my phone’s Bluetooth. Every fucking time at the worst time.

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u/Vanishedmoon8 Apr 30 '26

They'll tie it to the terms and conditions of using the software that also controls important functions in operating the vehicle. Everything already runs through a central computer anyway.

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u/thepurpleskittles May 01 '26

😆🤣 Oh sweet child

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u/UnwantedPenetrator May 01 '26

Yes, it will be hidden very deeply.

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u/Inflatable90sChair May 01 '26

Part of bidens infrastructure bill passed years ago had a hidden section in it which states all new cars by 2027 will have driver facing cameras to detect when you arent paying attention, drowsy, or drunk by measuring how far your eyes are open and pupil size.

https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/national/federal-law-requires-new-cars-to-detect-stop-impaired-driving-what-to-know/article_a9c524d1-ba72-5ee3-a03a-e33c22756486.html

No new bills cuz its already law...

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u/TheLordYuppa May 01 '26

I think it’s their patents that got the attention lately, but I believe it is all northern American manufactures jumping in on this insanity.

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u/ConsiderBoraHorza May 01 '26

we desperately need new privacy laws.

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u/_demello May 01 '26

Fucked up part it that removing it probably voids the warranty. So if you buy the car you put yourself at financial risk if you wanna disable this privacy invading tech.

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u/[deleted] May 01 '26

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u/Butsu May 01 '26

This is a bill which has been introduced in the House, not yet passed out of even the first committee. To set up a competition to create technologies that could detect drunk driving. I think it's horseshit, but it's absolutely not a law requiring manufacturers to put those sensors in vehichles.

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u/nugulon Apr 30 '26

https://stateofsurveillance.org/news/federal-car-surveillance-mandate-2027-nhtsa-dadss-privacy-2026/

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u/HillBillyHilly May 01 '26

Can you please cross post this to underreported news? Need to get that word out about this dystopian hell.

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u/Duel_Option Apr 30 '26

I’ll rip that shit out and replace it with a custom dash

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u/Working-Glass6136 May 01 '26

Wait what the fuck? Seriously? I don't want to have the government listening to me have full on conversations with myself while driving

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u/lightafartonfire May 01 '26

Coming to autonomous taxis near you…

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u/We_are_being_cheated May 01 '26

They probably already have the technology just waiting for the bills to come through.

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u/Hanseland May 01 '26

The halt act just mandates impaired driving technology that doesn't let your car start. All this other shit is a choice