Britain has taken one more step in becoming a surveillance society with this: a "crime-predicting" CCTV that seems to be plucked straight out of science fictions:
Computers are programmed to analyse the movements of people or vehicles in the camera frame. If someone is seen lurking in a particular area, the computer will send out an alarm to a CCTV operator.
The operator will then check the image and – if concerned – ring the police. The aim is to stop crimes before they are committed. If a vehicle is moving too fast or slow – indicating joyriding or kerb-crawling, for example – a similar alert could be given.
I admit I had to look up kerb crawling
Yeah, Daily Mail does say it all, doesn't it?
If you go into a store, office building, or walk past a bank you're on camera, is it really so bad that they're on the street?
CCTV cameras, while not really deterring crime, they do aid in catching and convicting street criminals. I'd say considering the minimally invasive nature of CCTV on the everyday lives of people, it's a fair trade off.
It's like one way vid-screens.
Personal vids keep everyone on their p's and q's. What you do in public spheres is the public business, thats what public means.
I have my phone, my cameras', my recorders. I expect the city to do the same. They want to protect the people who live there.
Don't like it? Stay off the street.
You are expected to behave like everybody else. Spontaneous behavior is suspicious. Act like the crowd. Whatever you do, do not stand out.
Do not jump in the air if you're very happy. Don't dance on imaginary music with that girl you haven't seen for a while. Do not stop on the street and play music, or sit on the curb with a friend. Don't sit on the bonnet of your car with a friend. Do not stand on a bridge and daydream while watching the water or the birds. Do not walk playful touching every second brick or lamppost. Do not act out movie scenes when you leave the movie theatre. Do not offer anything to people, no flowers, no chewing gum, no money. Don't walk on your hands. Don't juggle. Don't tie your shoelaces in public. Do not argue or talk too loud in your mobile phone. Do not talk with your hands too much. Don't be too happy.
If you do, you will be watched closely. Your face will be registered and your identity checked. You are potentially disturbing the peace. Possibly drunk or on drugs. Next time a microphone on the camera will record your conversations. Also your behavior on the internet and your telephone conversations will be monitored.
And it will all happen automatic, by computer.
Your big brother is looking after you. He knows what is best for you. He watches after your safety. He's your elder brother and he loves you. He knows you are passionate about your freedom, and you get carried away sometimes. Trust him. No need to get paranoid. Don't worry and sleep. Big Brother is watching you.
In America, for example, violent crime as a whole has been falling by 0.5% every year since the early nineties (read the uniform crime reports). However, reporting on violent crime by law enforcement agencies and news organizations has increased in staggering amounts.
On the flip side, violent crime, when it does happen, is more likely to be more violent than historical examples. Some would look at this and say that it's a sign of the decline of society, but let's look at it logically. If you have fewer people engaging in acts of violence every year, it is far more likely that those who do engage in those behaviors represent a deviant or antisocial population.
This is not to say that violent crime is not real, and that it isn't horrible when it does happen. However, CCTV cameras and other forms of government monitoring are a result of media and government projection that things are spinning out of control, and we need to realistically assess whether or not this is the case before we give up our freedom of privacy. Otherwise, we are simply letting the talking heads on the boob-tube do our thinking for us.
If this issue isn't worth putting your foot down, what is? What will it take for you to say "okay, enough is enough, I want my freedom back"? And how do you know it won't be too late by then? It's like the frog being slowly boiled alive: the gradual increase in temperature is bearable enough, but by the time the water does become too hot, you're dead. Should've jumped out while you had the chance.
And what would I be doing on the street in front of a bar that I'm worried would be found out?
When the government does it, it is like they are treating all people as criminals. As Briannanna has said, crime has decreased significantly since the early 90's yet we have all those idiots on the news saying the opposite and the politicians claiming video games are corrupting the kids and making them more violent. It is the 60's all over again when they claimed music made people do drugs.
I accept security in specific situations. Putting them on public streets is taking it too far. Just like the cameras mounted on street corners that will give you a ticket without knowing all the facts. Those cameras will get you in trouble without knowing all the facts.
What do those doccuments say that you dissagree with, exactly?