In Hong Kong the currently raging debate (although, it isn't a place where debates rage with much intensity) is over the new televisions that are being installed in buses. Kowloon Motor Bus Co., a locally registered public company, has full or partial ownership of Roadshow Holdings Inc. (not sure whether that's the correct name). Roadshow Holdings Inc. sells advertising time on the bus televisions which are its property.

The televisions are strategically located on both stories (Hong Kong buses are double-decked) so that pretty much everybody on board except the driver and the people near him can see them. The speakers run the length of the bus down the ceilings in parallel rows, so there's no getting away from the sound.

They cannot be turned off by passengers, nor can they be muted. They can only pick up the 'Roadshow' channel, which is not broadcast, but replayed on a looped tape. The shows are a poor excuse for the advertising.

The debate centers around the question of privacy and whether or not the Roadshow televisions constitute an invasion of it. The question of vandalism has been raised as well, although there haven't been any serious incidents. They may increase as public outcry grows stronger.

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