CCTV utilizes television cameras in order to transmit a signal to dedicated monitors. CCTV has been used by law enforcement in order to survey public spaces; initially, CCTV was limited to use by private companies to protect their personal property. It was commonly found in banks, casinos, and airports. Video surveillance is often justified as limiting terrorist acts.
CCTV began in the United Kingdom, in response to IRA bombings. Approximately, 400,000 cameras are in London alone. However, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has done some research on the issue of the benefits of CCTV in the UK which has dispelled the notion of their vast success. EPIC reports:
“In the past decade, successive UK governments have installed over 1.5 million cameras in response to terrorist bombings. While the average Londoner is estimated to have their picture recorded more than three hundred times a day, no single bomber has been caught.”
Clearly, CCTV’s pretension of security has been empirically denied. Despite this empirical denial, according to BBC, 3000 CCTV systems were found in New York in 1998. That number has mushroomed since the September 11th terrorist attacks.
CCTV threatens individual liberty and privacy. CCTV has been spreading recently in residential areas, which are not likely to have terrorist activity. The potential for harm with alternative uses of CCTV, therefore, is tremendous. This is especially true with more advanced technology within CCTV cameras. For example, in a usually static environment, CCTV cameras can track a moving object or person. Additionally, facial-recognition technology can be used to cross-check faces registered on CCTV against faces stored in other databases. Some of these CCTV advances are being funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
A major civil liberty concern deals with anonymity. If one is always on camera, it is feared that an individual cannot walk anonymously through a city or through a public place.
Below are some links with some more information on CCTV:
EPIC on Video Surveillance
http://www.epic.org/privacy/surveillance/
FAQ on CCTV by Privacy International
http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd[347]=x-347-61925&als[theme]=Video%20Surveillance&headline=CCTV%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions
ACLU Letter on CCTV
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/resources/16782res19990408.html
