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Comment by drhodes | Hacker News Reader

or the privacy button could encrypt the video stream instead of shutting it off.

This. Store the private key in a sealed envelope somewhere where only a judge can get it. If they push the privacy button and the timeframe is shown to be relevant to a case, it gets decrypted.

This is the same type of argument made by people that say the government should have the keys to all encryption. The standard response is that, if there is a key and the government has it, it will get out and then all those things that were recorded are now open to the public. Not wanting to be filmed whiled going to the restroom seems reasonable.

A police officer is not an ordinary citizen. They have huge authority, and the accountability should match. Also, I'm not suggesting that they should have to wear their body cams at all times, just when they are clocked in. Hell, even gas station attendants have constant video surveillance of their actions and no one complains.

People legally authorized to kill other people should be willing to subject themselves to a higher degree of scrutiny.

I really like how you think.

It could be a good example of public/private key encryption too. You can encrypt with a public key (or more commonly, symmetrically encrypt with a symmetric key asymmetrically encrypted with a public key), with the private decryption key only in the hands of a judge (or other supervisor).

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