Yeah, the "at least" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that headline.

Though I bet it's hard to prove so they might not be able to even glimpse a fraction of what really happens.

Yes. I think we just have no statistics about it. Just one off examples. It's gotta happen way more than we have any idea of. If the power is there, it will be abused.

I always resist the meme level thinking that all cops are bad or w/e. This black and white thinking does the world no good. It just drives polarization and us-vs-them thinking. Reality is not so black and white.

Still, we need safeguards against public servants we entrust with power. We need to hold them accountable. Iindividuals when they betray the public trust. Also police depts who have corrupt cultures. Power corrupts. And some kinds of power are too much for anyone. They always lead to bad outcomes. Mass warrantless surveilance is one of those things. It's too much. It leads to erosion of democratic societies.

There are some rays of hope. In the country I live (US) many communites have pushed back against license plate surveilance! They have succeded. Sure it's still just a fraction. But it's a start! Shows we the public, we can fight surveilance. And win.

Here's one example. There are LOTS of others! Citizens banded together, and succesfully fought.

The cities of Eugene and Springfield announced Friday evening that they would discontinue the use of AI-powered license plate cameras connected to the company called Flock Safety. The announcements, issued in separate press releases, come after months of public pushback. Opponents said the cameras could be used to track innocent people and put vulnerable residents at risk of surveillance by federal agencies.

Which is funny because I have no desire to use any of the products my employer uses.