A voyeurs target

I live in one of the safest and lowest random crime countries in the world. One is statistically more likely to be mauled to death by a bear than be a victim of crime (this may or may not be technically true and is for illustration purposes only). The people that live here are about as timid as a community of this size can be and pretty much do whatever they are told by anyone they deem an authority.

So, why all the cameras? They are everywhere and every day I seem to spot more in evermore unusual places. This isn't a new phenomena and I have been watching the proliferation of these electronic eyes over the last decade and a half.

What I wonder is who approves them, who monitors them and who agreed to allow themselves to be tracked on film at just about all times. It is likely that if I walk through the city streets, there is not many moments I am out of a frame for long.

What is the purpose of them all and when was there a public discussion about their usage and who and how the footage can be used and stored? to me, this seems like an oversight. Literally in this case.

The next issue is that based on the sheer numbers of these cameras, they are not being monitored in real-time.This means that any argument about safety or crime goes out the window as the footage would only be seen after the fact. It could be used to catch a perpetrator, but not save a victim. It seems that there has been a significant outlay to set up this network and if not for crime, what?

With the technology in facial/body recognition developing so quickly, I would assume that there is likely a computer system scanning and cataloging the comings and goings of everyone. Potentially, with a name input, one could search all appearances of anyone in a matter of moments and track their whereabouts at just about anytime.

I am sure that this is not the only country where this is happening which raises other questions. How come after some of these terrorist attacks the perpetrators are able to escape? Perhaps it is just too slow to track or search but it seems strange that with big events all over the globe and the number of cameras in city areas, very few capture anything of real substance. And, with the latest cameras, why is the footage so terrible?

I don't know much about any of this but I do not like being followed on cameras by unknown entities and organisations who are public but never seen. I think that even in public places there should be some right to privacy and citizens should have access to the data collected on themselves.

I have always had an aversion to authority of some kind but this continual ramping up of seemingly unnecessary data collection has me somewhat concerned over where it will lead. Of course, it isn't just the governments doing the collection, it is everyone who possibly can. Put all of those various forms of data together and the view into our lives is almost endless.

Does anyone else care that when they walk don the street they are continually being followed by unknown eyes?

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]