Alicia Nieves: The Left's War on Anti-Crime Tech

"Progressive paranoia costs lives"

I haven't thought enough about e.g. Flock cameras--though it's an issue in my town.

I agree with what Nieves says about the left...but I'm not sure whether they're right or wrong about the cameras and similar things.

Certainly conservatives, liberals and centrists are split on such issues. Libertarians tend to be unified and against such technology. As goes without saying.

My main objection to these new sub-movements on the left is that--as usual--they seem mainly concerned to support criminals and criminality. Progressives lean libertarian when it comes to defending criminals--but not ordinary people. They're against Flock cameras...but also against voter ID. They're libertarian about the cameras, and about gunfire detection technology...but not about gun ownership by law-abiding citizens. Very selective libertarianism...and generally in the wrong direction.

Me, again: I don't know. As Sowell says, there are no solutions, only tradeoffs. Flock cameras are good and they're bad. If we could be assured that the information wouldn't be used for any purpose other than catching serious criminals--that the information would be locked up except to catch murderers, rapists, child-abductors, etc--I'd be inclined to favor it. But, of course, I don't trust the government nor the relevant companies to do it that way...

So I don't know...but I'm inclined to be against them on general principle...but willing to be convinced.