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Home > Surveillance cameras and privacy concerns -- is the invasion of public privacy worth it?
November 16, 2006
By: Lynn Bryant
It can easily be said that our world is becoming less and
less private. Video surveillance technology is a part of our
everyday lives in the society in which we live. It is
difficult to go anywhere these days without seeing some type
of video surveillance camera. Likely many more cameras go
unseen because they are covert or hidden. It begs the
questions, is all this invasion of privacy really worth it?
Is our society really more secure as a result of the
increased use of video surveillance? This article seeks to
explore the issue of surveillance cameras and privacy in an
effort to determine if the tradeoff of less privacy is
really worth it.
As video surveillance technology advances, the need for
human involvement in surveillance tasks lessens. With the
advent of motion detection, automatic alert features,
behavior recognition, and even face recognition software,
the job of video surveillance can almost take care of
itself. As surveillance systems become more efficient and
effective, they have become more and more popular and
prominent in our society. While most people are generally
comfortable with and even promote this trend, some do not.
Some view this trend as a severe invasion of our privacy.
Their view is that the incorporation of these Big Brother
surveillance cameras as it were, are a means for others to
track and monitor our every move. To them the terms
surveillance camera and privacy are definitely
contradictions.
The main argument of those individuals that are against
public video surveillance is that the act of surveillance
itself is an invasion of our right to privacy. They argue
that there is really no end to how far this trend will take
us. The simple act of installing a closed circuit television
camera on the side of an ATM machine may seem like a great
idea to deter theft at that location. However, it does not
stop there. The problem is, as technology advances, so do
the uses and covert nature of video surveillance itself.
What started as a simple way to monitor security around
the perimeter of public places has evolved to a point where
anyone can install a hidden video camera and monitor that
video from anywhere in the world directly over the Internet.
In addition, the integration of traffic cameras, and face
recognition software give law enforcement the ability to
track and identify virtually anyone without us even knowing
it. The problem is that the potential privacy violations
just keep getting more and more invasive, and there really
is no way of stopping it.
The fact is, they are right. The problem lies in the fact
that it does not seem as if society is willing to give up
the benefits achieved by the increased use of public video
surveillance in order to regain what privacy that has been
lost. In fact, the public in general seems rather ambivalent
to the fact that they are monitored around every corner.
Most believe that the benefits of increased security and
protection far outweigh the loss of a what they consider a
less valuable thing like privacy.
It really is a dilemma though because individuals do have
a right to privacy. However, unless the use of video
surveillance is outlawed entirely, there is really nothing
that can be done to protect those few who would rather live
without the constant eyes of Big Brother over them.
The need for increased security is a naturally outworking
of the world in which we live in. There are concrete
examples in our society today of crimes that were solved
using video captured from public video surveillance cameras.
There is little doubt that video surveillance has helped
improve the safety of our everyday lives in many ways. Most
dismiss this loss of privacy as a minor inconvenience they
must deal with in order to experience the benefits gained
from the added security achieved.
It is unfortunate, but there is really no middle ground.
If we move ahead with the implementation of newer, smarter,
more advanced technology, privacy will suffer as a result.
Whenever this issue is addressed, a debate is sure to arise.
About the Author
Lynn Bryant is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Video-Surveillance-Guide.com. Your
definitive guide to video surveillance equipment, CCTV
cameras and wireless security systems for home and business.
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