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posted by on Friday March 17 2017, @09:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the and-everyone-will-have-to-follow-them dept.

It has been said that Britain has more surveillance cameras than any other country in the world. This proliferation of CCTV cameras led the government to establish a surveillance camera commissioner responsible for overseeing their governance – the only country in the world to do so. In another first, the commissioner has now released a national strategy for England and Wales to set out how CCTV should be operated and to ensure that cameras are used in the public interest.

The growing prevalence of cameras and greater understanding of the many ways in which we are surveilled has led many – including the current commissioner, Tony Porter, to voice concern that Britain is "sleepwalking into a surveillance state". This raises critical questions about whether we can be confident that all these cameras are being used in a way the public would approve of – and if not, whether regulation can force CCTV operators into line.

It's not just the sheer number of cameras that is of concern. Deployed by many public sector and private organisations in a fragmented and piecemeal manner over the last 20 years, different systems offer vastly different technical capabilities and are used in different ways. There is a lack of standardisation and limited public awareness about what CCTV cameras are capable of and what they are used for. This is particularly important given developments in facial recognition and movement tracking technology.

There are also concerns about the misuse of cameras, for example camera operators abusing their position for voyeurism or commercial gain. Or cameras that do little to deter crime, where image quality was too poor for use in court, or even instances where cameras that could have provided vital footage were switched off to save money. With advances in digital technology, such as face recognition, there are also issues about privacy, data sharing and profiling and the possible "chilling effect" that this will have on society.

Open Barn Door, meet Escaped Horse.


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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday March 17 2017, @10:55PM (2 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday March 17 2017, @10:55PM (#480683)

    I'd expect guys to want the cameras, while women would wall off or bulldoze the beach...

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  • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday March 17 2017, @11:00PM (1 child)

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday March 17 2017, @11:00PM (#480687) Homepage

    At that same beach, actually, there's a spot south past the rocks that's known as a makeout spot -- and hanging out there are pervs with telephoto lenses who wait until dusk to snap couples in the act.

    Source: I caught one of the motherfuckers standing on a rock right above my friend and I recording us.

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @11:41PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @11:41PM (#480701)

      That explains the telephoto lens.