Social Media Phobia??

[Retired]

My car is equipped with a dashboard camera, both for my own protection from an unexpected event while driving, and also that I might record the next asteroid that strikes the Earth!

Last week I brought my car into the dealer for routine service, and when I picked up my car, I noticed the dash cam had been disconnected. Before inquiring as to why, I wanted to see what had been recorded prior to being disconnected...and indeed it was disconnected while in a service bay at the garage.

I confronted the service manager with the evidence (on a flash drive) who promised to investigate, assuring me this was not a Company policy and that the Company has nothing to hide in their garage.

Received a call this morning from the manager who explained the camera was disconnected by a twenty year old technician who was afraid his picture would be posted on social media.

Evidently the young man was advised that customers' dash cams were not to be tampered with and that the reputation of transparency in the garage was to be maintained.

I am not a fan of social media, and this incident reinforces my dislike for an environment and culture that fosters paranoia in an atmosphere of fake news and abusive bullying.

Is this a symptom of the culture of social media or the simply the insecurity of one twenty year old?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I confronted the service manager with the evidence (on a flash drive) who promised to investigate, assuring me this was not a Company policy and that the Company has nothing to hide in their garage.

Received a call this morning from the manager who explained the camera was disconnected by a twenty year old technician who was afraid his picture would be posted on social media.

Evidently the young man was advised that customers' dash cams were not to be tampered with and that the reputation of transparency in the garage was to be maintained.

I am not a fan of social media, and this incident reinforces my dislike for an environment and culture that fosters paranoia in an atmosphere of fake news and abusive bullying.

Is this a symptom of the culture of social media or the simply the insecurity of one twenty year old?

This isn't a social media issue per se. This is a concern specifically about dash cams on the part of their employee.

The dealer may have nothing to hide. Their garage in general may have nothing to hide. But I would question what the young service mechanic may have been hiding. Was he worried they would learn he was dragging his butt or doing something not work-related during working hours?

 

[Daniel E.]

Fortunately, this would never happen to me as I could never afford to take my car to the dealer even for an oil change

 

[Daniel E.]

Similar to what David said:

“If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear,” Jonathan Cheng wrote.

“I’m a mechanic, work on several cars with dash cams etc. couldn’t care less if they’re on or not,” Brett Gillon commented.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nowra-toyota-refuses-to-service-customers-cars-if-dashcam-running/news-story/a34b56666ed80242afc214c1a788864a

 

[Retired]

A couple of years ago, there was a news report of a man who brought his Mercedes in for service here in Ottawa and his dash cam recorded the technicians driving his car on a wild ride during the "road test".

I've also had the opportunity to settle a dispute over "who was at fault" using my dash cam video, so I am very sensitive and protective about my camera.

It seems to me this young man needs to understand what goes on in the real world in terms of accountability and the unfortunate need for surveillance in an era of litigation and high insurance costs. Especially living part time in the U.S., this kind of self protection is almost obligatory in a highly litigious society.

His world may be consumed by his social media activities, but the broader picture involves the integrity of his employer, which supersedes his own insecurities, however they may be motivated.

I wonder if he places a sock over any surveillance cameras his employer might have installed around their own property.

 

[Daniel E.]

Yeah, and I would agree about the U.S. A car cam is almost necessary the way things are going.

My parents were visiting family in South Florida a last year. Long story short, their insurance went up $1000 a year for the next three years since some fake witnesses scammed their auto insurance. A police officer checked my parents car. It had no damage from the alleged wreck my parents were blamed for, but the insurance company refused to fight the claim. According to my parents, they didn't even touch another car.

My parents had a private lawyer, but he said they didn't have a chance. And even if they did, they would be out the same amount in legal fees.

 

[gooblax]

I can see where you all are coming from, but from my POV it depends what kind of training/awareness/consent process was provided when hiring the employee. I personally would not be expecting to be filmed by a client while doing my job without providing my consent, and would be uncomfortable to find out that I was being filmed without my consent.

In a region where dash cams are common, maybe it makes sense to have a blanket "there's probably a dash cam in every car, so by accepting a position in this company you are consenting to being filmed by the clients dash cam whilst the car is in the lot, and acknowledge that the video may be used by the client in any way" type deal. It's not clear if they had this or not.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

But is a dash cam even running when the vehicle is not?

 

[Retired]

But is a dash cam even running when the vehicle is not?

Dash cams do not typically operate when the vehicle is not running.

from my POV it depends what kind of training/awareness/consent process was provided when hiring the employee

The idea is to record what is happening in front of the car while the car is being driven, so the employee is not being recorded while working on the car. However if the employee is concerned about what s/he does when driving a customer's car, then that person should not be employed in that job, and for my protection, it's my right to know how and where my car is being driven when in the care of the garage, which I am paying for the work being done.

It has to do with responsibility, accountability and supervision of my property. There is no expectation of privacy when driving a customer's vehicle one is being paid to service.

Let's face it, the car business does not have a history of being among the most honest and ethical businesses; so color me cynical, but having an operating dash camera in the car while the vehicle is being serviced slightly evens the playing field...

 

[gooblax]

Ah ok, pardon my ignorance - I've never had a drivers license and know ziltch about dash cams or servicigs.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I've never had a dash cam either.

Now that I think about it, maybe I should get one to wear on a hat, just to intimidate people when I'm walking around. Like, "don't you mess with me, buddy - I've got a head cam!"...

 

[gooblax]

I've thought about getting a Go Pro for when I'm cycling. I'm sure this wouldn't look odd to wear while walking around...

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Do it, gooblax! You could have posted videos of the magpie attacks!