Security Cameras and Privacy Concerns
How many times have you been walking down a sidewalk or in a public place and noticed that security cameras were aimed at you? Does this immediately bring to mind the term “invasion of privacy” or does it provide you with a nice, secure feeling to think that your safety is being looked after? Opinions on the subject of security vs. privacy vastly differ; some view security as top priority and others perceive the issues completely the opposite with privacy being the highest priority. The argument continues to escalate as more and more security cameras are installed nearly everywhere you go.
Terrorism has fueled the frenzy to cover most public places with cameras. Especially in airports you will find the very latest, high tech CCTV systems. Many of these state-of-the-art systems are designed to not only document activity but to feed the images into sophisticated software programs created for facial recognition and to detect suspicious behaviors.
The earliest security systems were only capable of producing somewhat grainy black and white images. Modern CCTV utilizes high resolution digital cameras to produce sharp, color images. This may seem a somewhat small advancement but the real significance of color technology comes into play when used forensically. For instance, if a bank robber flees the scene in a red car, a computer can use Video Content Analysis (VCA) to search the security film for any red car images captured on the film. VCA makes it possible to search for numerous parameters on security video. Search conditions such as “someone loitering around an ATM without using it in a reasonable time” can be entered into VCA to highlight possible suspicious activity.
VCA is a very useful tool for those monitoring behaviors in a crowded area. Airports make use of VCA to watch for anomalies in the crowd such as passenger presence in restricted areas or those exiting planes improperly. Crowded subway stations have been targeted by terrorists in the past and now many are making use of VCA to monitor crowds for suspicious behavior.
Many public areas such as parks, playgrounds and public parking facilities currently use CCTV to monitor safety. Many welcome the cameras as a step towards keeping them safer. However, there are those who disagree with the use of surveillance in public areas. These people argue that the cameras invade their privacy and that they should be removed. This debate is far from over as both sides to the argument are passionate in their positions.
In the US we are protected by our Constitution which provides us with a right against self-incrimination. The right protecting us from self-incrimination has been drug into the public security system debate by those who assert that the security cameras in public settings are contra-Constitutional. Those who disagree argue that security cameras in public settings are a crime deterrent and help solve crimes.
Civil liberties are the real issue in the debate over using security cameras, CCTV and VCA capable systems in public places. Which is the most critical; safety and security or privacy? Does the overall safety of society as a whole supersede the rights of an individual? One day the answer will come but in the meantime, CCTV use increases in public settings.