Video Surveillance In Public Places: Good Or Bad? By Gabriel Adams At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Today, many major cities have video cameras all over the place. Is this video surveillance in public places good or bad? The topic is the subject of heated debate.

What the discussion comes down to is the reconciliation between personal privacy and public safety.

As far as privacy goes, this is obvious: no one wants to be recorded without their knowledge or permission. It’s just uncomfortable to think about being watched; it’s inherently disconcerting. This is such a fundamental issue in the US that our Constitution specifically addresses citizens’ right to privacy as a core issue.

On the other hand, safety is a genuine concern to be taken into account. A crime can occur anywhere, and if you or someone you care about were the victim of a crime, you would be relieved and thankful to know that the perpetrator could be identified through city cams. In addition, cams are sometimes used to monitor teens hanging out skateboarding, homeless people, gang activity and anything else that

And then there is the argument that perhaps certain crimes might even be prevented by security cameras and lights. There is evidence that suggest that this kind of prevention does occur, but it is not without exception. (Think about all of the robberies you have seen on news broadcasts that were caught on tape by security cameras! Didn’t stop those guys, did it?)

It’s a sad world, and crime is real. So how do we find a middle ground between privacy and safety? What is the solution? Unfortunately, it’s a classic catch 22. There is no end-all solution for this dilemma. You simply can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were such a society where crime did not even occur? Especially crimes that endangered the very livelihood and well-being of the citizens! However, we all know that such a society does not exist, except maybe in Heaven. Until then, we’ve had to sacrifice some luxuries like personal privacy for the greater good of our public. Is anyone thrilled that this sacrifice is needed? No.

The question is where you draw the line. It was recently announced in the news that phone companies like AT&T are allowing the government to access and monitor people’s telephone calls, under the rationale of homeland security. Many people find this to be an outrage! It sounds very similar to things that have broken apart the government from their citizens in communist countries under dictatorships!

Another privacy issue is internet privacy. Your internet behavior, whether you like it or not, is being tracked not only by webmasters, but also by hackers, internet service providers, the government, and potentially other citizens. That's right, average citizens can pay certain companies to get personal info about you, such as email address, location, and more.

And let’s not forget aerial views of city streets which are now easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection. That’s right, just by going to Google maps or Mapquest, anyone can view your street and even see your driveway and yard (a time delayed satellite picture). Is that frightening or what?

It’s sort of fascinating (yet very terrifying) that many of the doomsday views of sci-fi movies anywhere from 10 to 50 years ago (such as “Enemy of the State” and (1984”) are coming true as the future goes on. With all technologies come good and bad aspects. And video surveillance in cities is no exception to that.

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