Video Surveillence and 1984.

In My Humble Opinion
1

Do you think that video surveillance is a good idea?
Are we slowly turning into situations described in George Orwell’s book 1984?
They are talking about MORE traffic camera’s in NY and in England they’ve had video surveillance on the street posts.
IMHO I must say I think we’re slowly walking into a very dangerous situation for our future. I’VE SEEN surveillance used against someone other than “The Security Issue” it’s supposed to be used for. I’m a “Live and Let Live” type of person and I’m FOR victims rights to the MAX (ie. someone gets attacked on camera and they catch the perp)but I think there has to be a limit to invading privacy.
For some reason we think that we can save millions by using surveillance because you don’t need as many policemen. I say lets have more policemen and less laziness on the part of some so called “Wonderful” video idea to fight crime.
Technology is a great thing. It’s supposed to make things simpler. Pretty scary stuff ! Any feedback?

  • “Who is watching the watcher?”
2

What makes you think we aren’t there already?

“Sadam Hussein is the enemy. Sadam Hussein is always the enemy. Osama Bin Laden is not important. Russia has always been our friend. George Bush won the election…”

3

Someone correct me if I am wrong. The latest stat I remember from the UK is one surviellance camera for every eleven people. That is alot. I work in security and install a couple hundred cameras every year for the past several years. Before 9/11 it was mostly retail. It has now turned to things like water treatment facilities and public areas. The traffic light stuff has been expanding due to shared revenue with the equipment companies. My job kinda sucks considering that I am a huge fourth ammendment supporter.

4

You can put surveilance cameras on your own property because
you have the right to monitor your own security as you see fit.

You can put surveilance cameras in public because out in the open
people have no expectation of privacy.

5

We’ve had surveillance cameras in the CBD for years. yep. Our little-old-country-victorian town has big dome cameras perched like streetlights on most corners, they catch a lot of cars doing stupid things and accidents and drunken brawls etc.

The thing I was amazed at was how far they can SEE with those things!!!

My SO worked in the local police station where all the images are relayed and could zoom in to see details on car number-plates from about 500 metres away! That’s the spooky part, but it has been good for crime downtown.

6

I think it stinks.

Yes, cameras can improve the crime rates of an area, as well as streamline prosecution. The improvement, however, is not absolute. People still shoplift from stores that are equipped with video cameras, and a fair amount of them probably get away with it. The same could apply to other crimes. Also, the arguement that cameras could thwart terrorism is questionable at best. Face scanning could potentially indentify known terrorists. However, there are likely many unknown terrorists. And these people aren’t going to be meeting in a place where there’s a video camera, or even the possibility of any form of survellience. The only way to completely thwart that would be to put video cameras, complete with sound, in every room of every building in the country, as well as in open areas, which is completely unfeasible.

Video cameras have great potential for abuse. Say I’m overcome by a fit of passion, and decide to screw my non-existent (but existent for the purposes of this post) boyfriend in the backseat of my '96 Ford Contour. Now, who’s to say that a couple of leches aren’t going to be watching this from a streetlight camera.

Say again that the cameras have some sort of incredible zooming power. Enough to look through a darkened window. Now someone could be watching me screw my boyfriend in the comfort of my own home (or, in my case, dorm room).

The reason that I use the rather melodramatic example of sex is quite simple: it’s something that is not illegal (and, according to many people, not immoral), yet is something that I do not wish for strangers to see. And, knowing humanity as well as I do, odds are that at least one person would be using the cameras for that purpose. Probably a lot more than one. The axiom “well, I have nothing to hide” doesn’t apply; even legal and moral actions can be quite embarassing to some people.

I’m not even going to touch upon Big Brother here. I’m sure that most people are familiar with the book, and understand what could happen if the governmental situation even came close to that in Orwell’s world. No, no, a thousand times no.

Privacy is something that I personally feel is one of the most important rights that we should be entitled to. Additional video survellience could erode that right down to nothing.

Also, I think this should be in GD. But maybe that’s because I just pontificated here :o.

7

You all have some great points made. Especially Angel Of The Lord.
As I’ve said I’ve seen a co-worker get in trouble for snoozing on the job, but check this out: He was working a midnight shift in a building till like 6 a.m. and the camera showed him going into a room and then exiting hours later!!! It didn’t even catch him snoozing!!! That camera is used and I quote “For security reasons only for YOUR protection.”
****They only check the camera’s if someone breaks in or does damage to the outside of the building!!! What a load of sh–.
He did not have anything in his hands as far as stealing something and I might add ALL of his work was complete as is every night!!!
This simply put is an outrage and politics definately had something to do with it, no doubt. He was not fired but got in trouble. Do you see the grey crappy area in this situation?
Is it right for him to sleep? No I’m not saying it’s o.k., it’s harmless though, let me throw this one out to you all. If YOU were working that shift EVERY NIGHT wouldn’t you sleep? I only know of two or three men who love that shift and don’t cop zz’sssss.
This simply put is a witchhunt for this person and to set an example for all the other workers to which I might add are all “Union” members too!! You think anyone stuck up for him? Nada one!!! Union help- Nothing!!!
They are good and bad surveillance as always like I said before… Who is watching the watcher?
With technology things are supposed to be getting better and brighter for our future yet we’re getting more “Investigative” into people’s lives. I think we have more technical problems now more than ever with the Hackers and the computer age as well.
It all started with that Tipper Gore and those stupid stickers on Cd’s Dammit!!! Just kiddin’.
:smiley: