Big Brother in Christchurch
June 23rd, 2009 Filed under: Rants | Tags: big brother, cameras, christchurh, new zealand
Surveillance Cameras
The 25 cameras, almost triple the coverage of the 13 existing cameras which were already on Christchurch streets.
Last year the cameras helped with almost 80 arrests, located 27 missing people, seven witnesses to a homicide and helped identify and locate the suspect in a stabbing. Although those stats sound good, I still feel like we are giving up a little too much of our privacy to see these results.
I have been thinking about it for a while and the more I think about it the more it freaks me out that I am constantly being recorded during my day to day life. The key word in that sentence was “recorded”, I realise that these camera’s are in public places and that we are seen by random people all the time when walking around town and I’m fine with that. It’s the recording that unnerves me. I would be a lot happier if the camera’s watching me were doing just that, watching not recording me. It would be the same as any other random person on the street being able to see what I was doing.
This would still be advantageous to police, as they could have one officer watching multiple cameras, thus giving the police a greater presence in the community. The police officer viewing the camera feeds could keep mobile officers up to date to help stop crime on the streets.
One argument against this would be that evidence of crimes being committed would be lost. To this I suggest that the officer viewing live feeds should also be able to be used as eye witnesses for crimes in court, the same way any other officer would be able to if they were standing where the camera was when the crime was committed.
I would really like to hear your thoughts on this subject of Big Brother encroaching into our privacy. Do you mind being recorded? Do you think my idea of only allowing live feeds from the surveillance cameras is stupid? Have you got any other ideas? Hit those comment boxes people.
The recording is also needed because:
1. What is spotted on one camera is often seen better on another camera.
2. Viewing is not always done at live – as the wages to do so are very expensive and even when their is some live viewing, the individual cannot view all the cameras simultaneously.
3. When an incident is reported, the viewing of the tapes often involves slow motion viewing and zooming in for details.
Having said that, I, too, share your fear of the “big Brother” state. Would you feel more comfortable if the tapes could only be stored for 40 (?) days with the exception of those segments needed as evidence?
The problem I see with any type of recording is the ease in which the recording can be copied, stolen, sold or uploaded to the internet. With video analysis programs progressing as they are you would be surprised the number of companys that would like to analysis these types of videos for markets purposes.
Has the overall crimerate decreased since the invention of the video camera?
Just to make sure I’m not misunderstood. I’ve got nothing against private buisnesses putting up cameras within their premisis and recording it. My problem is with cameras that are recording public areas like streets, parks etc.
We’ve just installed about 14 camera’s at work and security gates which only open when you swipe your card over them. Most of our camera’s cost $1500, the one that we can rotate and is located at the 150 level of the stack cost $5000
How does it make you feel knowing that you are almost always being recorded while at work?
well It’s a bit intimidating when one is doing government work, but after all on facebook millions of people could theoretically be looking at the pictures you’ve posted.
Not so good while I am doing government work. However when you think about the people who could be looking at all the pictures on your blog, it’s mind boggling.
Yes but this is selected footage that I choose to share myself, but also you are right. We are entering an age where personal boundaries and private information is shrinking by the minute. I guess it just up to how we let that information define us now.