The surveillance society is here

I have a curious habit – whenever I’m in a shopping centre, railway station or other public space, I look for those insidious CCTV cameras. I blame my reading of Robert O’Harrow’s book, No Place to Hide, for this paranoid tendency. As our current civilisation starts to collapse (I’ll be doing a future post on this), I think we’ll see more regulations, more rules and more Government intrusion poking into the privacy of our lives. We’re already in the grip of a fear society.

So reading this article certainly didn’t allay my fears, in fact I’m now looking at lamp posts with some suspicion! The UK is about to install Talking CCTV cameras in 20 areas across the nation. But the UK’s Information Commissioner, Robert Thomas, says this may be taking things a bit too far (smart man!). Thomas has also raised concerns about listening devices being installed alongside cameras (what??) so authorities can eavesdrop on private conversations. Speaking to the Home Affairs Committee inquiring into the surveillance society, Thomas has pointed out that the efficacy of CCTV in detecting or preventing crime has not been shown.

Loudspeakers in lamp posts have been trailed in Middlesbrough and a case in Essex was cited where CCTV images of a man who was trying to commit suicide were later shown on TV to demonstrate the benefits of CCTV in tackling crime (not sure I see the connection between suicide and crime). Also discussed with the Committee was the prospect of facial recognition technology being used in stores. Already used by police to spot criminals, this raises the question of whether trying on clothes in a store will be a safe activity for us in the future. (Great: now I’ll be looking very closely for cameras in change rooms!).

I would like to know if there’s a code of practice for use of CCTV – does anyone know? And what might be the protocol for agencies sharing images and information? What’s to stop excessive and abusive surveillance of individuals??

And here’s some scary statistics: there are up to 4.2m CCTV cameras in Britain – about one for every 14 people – and the UK also holds 3.6 million DNA samples, which is the world’s biggest database.

I’ll be investigating the situation in Australia. In the meantime, if you haven’t read No Place to Hide do so to be more informed about the hidden web of business and government who are tracking our lives and identities. And don’t be complacent: next time you’re in a public space, check out just how many CCTV cameras watch your every move!