May 18, 2005

Surveillance Society Grows

Thanks to grants from the Federal government, local municipalities are installing more and more surveillance cameras (in the name of Homeland Security):

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested more than $2 billion to finance grants to state and local governments for homeland security needs. Some of this money is being used by state and local governments to create networks of surveillance cameras to watch over the public in the streets, shopping centers, at airports and more. However, studies have found that such surveillance systems have little effect on crime, and that it is more effective to place more officers on the streets and improve lighting in high-crime areas. There are significant concerns about citizens’ privacy rights and misuse or abuse of the system. A professor at the University of Nevada at Reno has alleged that the university used a homeland security camera system to surreptitiously watch him after he filed a complaint alleging that the university abused its research animals. Also, British studies have found there is a significant danger of racial discrimination and stereotyping by those monitoring the cameras.

Read the entire article.

(via Schneier on Security)

Further reading...

Two British based studies on the effects of CCTV on crime:

Crime prevention effects of closed circuit television: a systematic review
August 2002
Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hors252.pdf

To CCTV or not to CCTV? A review of current research into the effectiveness of CCTV systems in reducing crime
June 2002
National Association for the Criminal Rehabilitation of Offenders
http://www.epic.org/privacy/surveillance/spotlight/0505/nacro02.pdf

Comments:

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I just parked my car in the new parking garage at UT and noticed a sign by the stairwell: Park at your own risk. Video cameras are not monitored.

I don't know how much they spent on these things but it doesn't sound like much of an investment: police are perfectly capable of filing a report after a crime. How many real people to watch parking garages were they unable to hire due to spending on the CCTV system?

A side note, your comment instructions say "Please keep comments to a minimum of 125 words or less."

Posted by: espo at May 19, 2005 01:00 PM