Big Brother is watching and listening.

I have noticed an increasing number of small black cameras (with an attached solar panel) perched high on light poles through out my home city (Canberra, Australia).

Once you start noticing public cameras you see them everywhere…from traffic monitoring cameras at many intersections, to safety CCTV cameras in public spaces, to peoples public facing home personal security systems (sending their data to the system providers).
These things are everywhere!

The small black cameras I have noticed on power-poles and light-poles are something more recent. Now I cannot un-see them. At the risk of rabbit hole free-fall, I decided to do some simple online digging to see what they might be used for….

ANPR cameras:

In all probability these cameras are part of police ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) surveillance already in widespread use across Australia.

Typically this technology captures licence plates, time, location, vehicle make/model/colour and other identifiers.

Why it needs to be installed in suburban streets off the main thoroughfares, I am not so sure of.

With all the recent media attention around the use and abuse of the Flock camera system in the US (see here), I have some questions about privacy, transparency, policy and the use of these cameras in my own city.

But wait….there is more:

As I was trying to find out more about these cameras, it became evident that they are only a part of a larger surveillance system. A second component of this system is Bluetooth sniffers.

These devices are inconspicuous boxes (with no branding) and stumpy antennas that are attached to light poles throughout Canberra.

Again once you notice one of these boxes…they seem to be everywhere. I do not know if they are all sniffers….but there they are.

These things detect Bluetooth signals from devices such as your phone, car stereo system and even bluetooth headphones and speakers…. it then identifies that devices unique MAC address, which it can track as it moves between detection devices.

From what I can ascertain, these Bluetooth sniffers can collect data from a 100-200 metre radius. I am guessing that this data is being collected not just from vehicles but from anyone passing within range (e.g., walking past with phone in pocket, private properties within range, etc.)

This data could be potentially combined with licence plate captures and other information to track individuals movements.

My research shows that there are currently at least 118 Bluetooth detectors in Canberra. You can see a map of their locations here. Although interestingly this site notes: “Assets managed and / or owned privately, by other ACT Government Directorates or by the Federal Government may not be included.

Hmmmmm….But I have nothing to hide.

Privacy isn’t about hiding—it’s about protecting your rights, your choices, and your future. Surveillance is a weapon that can silence opposition, suppress individuality, and enforce conformity. Without privacy, we lose the freedom to dissent, innovate, and live without fear.

The next time someone says, “I have nothing to hide,” remind them: privacy is normal. It’s necessary. And it’s a fight we can’t afford to lose.

— Ludlow Institute.

I have questions:

• What data exactly is being collected? Is there potential for updating these systems to include facial recognition etc.
• Cost. How much taxpayer money is being used to install, maintain, and manage these systems?
• Function creep. Is there the potential (or is it already occuring) for this data to be used for purposes other than traffic monitoring?
• Transparency. Why is there no signage to inform the public that they are being surveiled (as is the case with CCTV cameras in public spaces), be it licence plate cameras or Bluetooth tracking at the location of these units?
• Storage and sharing. How long is this data being stored and is it being shared with other agencies? Who can access this information and are these systems being audited?
• Secrecy? What exactly are the “assets managed and / or owned privately, by other ACT Government Directorates or by the Federal Government” and how are they being used?