I surprised we're not seeing more instant offload/stream to server video apps for scenarios like this. With iPhones and 3G service, you could easily have videos auto-uploaded when you put the phone in a "panic" mode. It could even be set to be auto-emailed to some list of contacts in the event you don't checkin within 60 minutes.
Imagine a GoPro-style camera which transmitted wirelessly to a nearby smartphone. From there, the receiving app would sync it to a server ASAP. If you knew you were entering into a situation where video you were capturing might be confiscated, you could tape the phone to your thigh with a lot of duct tape. By the time the police organized themselves sufficiently to cut the tape off of your body, the important video likely would already be uploaded. Could this scheme be expanded upon by some sort of steel lock box around one's waist/ankle/etc? That would give the phone a lot of time to do its work. Furthermore, the box could contain an additional microphone which would continue recording after initial camera seizure. In cases where groups of protesters feared arrest, could Bluetooth be used to create a Tor-esque upload-to-the-cloud network which would eventually reconstitute everyone's video? I'm imagining a bunch of phones talking to each other in a mesh and trading blobs which could be reassembled server-side.
This sort of thing could set-off an arms race between police and those who want to record them. However, the police today seem to stifle recording in a grass roots, individual way. Would the police chief be embarrassed to explain in a room full of journalists that his department "jams" legal communications equipment as a matter of practice?
Android supports USB devices, there's no reason you couldn't rig it up with a commodity webcam plugged directly into the phone. I'd had this idea, but as an art project (give the app away and maybe some hats with cams and use the footage for something. I'm not good with art). Anyhow, this setup could be used to stream live video from the frontlines of... anything with cell phone service. (edit, I suppose drivers could be an issue on second consideration)
The Bambuser app is my favorite one, it's available on Android and iPhones and allows people to view your stream on the web. You can also review and download any clips you've streamed in the past, so it would work perfectly for this. In a really serious case, I imagine the company could provide evidence to prove the video wasn't tampered with too.
Your entire scenario rests on the fact that you are expecting a negative interaction with the police. It's one thing to go into a protest knowing confrontation is likely, it's quite another to have expect that same confrontation during a normal traffic stop.
If it's important enough to video, I'd say it's important enough to backup given how ubiquitous and cheap doing so is these days.
I get your point, but given the current environment with respect to video and journalists it does seem a bit naive to NOT have some expectation on any interaction with authority these days. It does make me sad to have to think this cynically.
This already exists. You could use ustream or a few different services for instant streaming + archiving. However, this is going to depend on a reliable data connection.
What does it say about our world that we need the latest in high-tech equipment to protect ourselves from the police breaking the law to punish innocent people?
The operation of transmitters designed to jam or block wireless communications is a violation of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended ("Act"). See 47 U.S.C. Sections 301, 302a, 333.
Also LEO data terminals use commercial LTE these days.
"They" in this case was the BART Directors, not the police, and this was not the first time the Directors chose to disable cell service at various stations in the system.
The latest dropbox app (currently in beta) can be told to automatically upload all new photos and videos on a device to dropbox. Then a remote server anywhere can watch your dropbox for changes and do something with the files - encrypt them, make remote backups, mail them out, whatever.
Yes, iCloud might. However, Apple is a large corporation that might be persuaded to take down videos. I'm not saying they would, but in a scenario like this, would you trust Apple (or Google for that matter) as the sole host of your video?
I think an option to upload to a public service (iCloud, YouTube, etc.) would be one viable option, but personally I'd still want the option to push it to some random server of my own choosing and control as well.
Photostream does photos automatically, but not video just yet. Could be implemented via an app, but you'd eat your iCloud and 3g data limits pretty fast.
Seems buildable, wish I had the time to do so.