Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

App concept and immediate reception

  • Many see this as a “practical use of AI” and civic tech: automating the tedious parts of NYC’s existing idling-complaint process, which already pays bounties to citizens.
  • Others mention similar civic-reporting tools (e.g., 311, local apps for graffiti/parking/etc.) and wish more cities exposed APIs so third parties could build better interfaces.
  • Several users want analogous tools for other violations (illegal parking, bike-lane blocking, tax and securities violations, even police abuse).

Bounty enforcement and incentives

  • Proponents argue fine-based bounties dramatically improve compliance by raising detection probability, citing whistleblower and False Claims Act–style programs.
  • Critics warn of an industrialized “snitching” industry: companies buying cameras, automating detection, and lobbying for more “easy-bounty” laws.
  • There’s debate over whether bounties should be a last-resort tool for hard‑to‑detect corporate/government malfeasance versus a general enforcement model.

Civil liberties, surveillance, and social trust

  • A large faction calls this dystopian/Stasi‑like: normalizing citizens as paid informants, eroding neighborhood trust, and paving the way for broader surveillance and bounty schemes (abortion, immigration, book bans, etc.).
  • Others counter that compared to expanding state surveillance, citizen‑driven evidence for clearly harmful behavior (idling trucks, unsafe driving) is the lesser evil.
  • Several note that once such mechanisms exist, political actors can repurpose them; historical and contemporary examples (authoritarian regimes, Texas abortion law) are raised.

Law content, fairness, and inequality

  • Some insist “if the law exists, it should be enforced”; if universal enforcement proves intolerable, the law should be repealed.
  • Others point out many laws (e.g., speed limits) rely on discretionary, partial enforcement to remain socially acceptable.
  • Flat fines are criticized as de facto “legal if you’re rich”; some call for income-based penalties, others reply that pollution harms poorer communities most.

NYC idling specifics and practicalities

  • The program targets commercial vehicles, with 3‑minute limits (1 minute by schools/parks) and exceptions for traffic and auxiliary functions like refrigeration.
  • Concerns are raised about edge cases (e.g., delivery trucks, lack of loading zones), potential abuse, and the integrity of video evidence in an era of generative AI.
  • Pricing of the app (subscription vs per-report/credits) and AI video‑processing costs are discussed; several expect a small group of “power users” to generate most reports.