Get the Feeling You're Being Watched? * USA - If You're Driving, You Just Might Be

Traffic cameras are becoming more common across the country, and not just for catching red-light runners

New York,NY,USA -The Wall Street Journal, by William M. Bulkeley -27 March 2009: -- ... Cameras today are also being used to watching highways to catch speeders, and infrared technology is being used to read license plates in order to catch people who are avoiding taxes and tickets... States and municipalities say that better safety, and some welcome additional revenue, are benefits of the cameras, although critics say cameras can lead to more rear-end crashes because of drivers slamming on their breaks when they see signs warning of cameras. There are also people concerned about cameras being operated by for-profit companies; for example, Arizona electrical engineer Ryan Denke, who runs the Web site Photoradarscam.com, argues that "We're putting law enforcement in the hands of third parties."... Meanwhile, some entrepreneurs are marketing products intended to defeat the cameras by reflecting their flashes back at them; these include Phantom Plate Inc., which sells Photoblocker spray and the plastic Photoshield skin, both of which were recently outlawed in California... (Photo from Associated Press - Vehicles drive past a speed surveillance and ticketing camera on a road heading into downtown in Cleveland, Ohio, earlier this month. The cameras measure the speed of passing motorists and make a photo of the car's license plate so the city can mail a speeding ticket to the offending driver)