We now have a community where it seem necessary to use modern technology to monitor people and property. We might risk that sensitive information about privacy will be compromised (as any computer system is leaking). The balance between law enforcement and personal privacy is gradually fading away.
States and authorities are not the only threat to personal privacy. Companies are taking more stringent measures for enhancing the viability of collecting detailed personal information about its customers, potential candidates for employment and so on. Even foreign countries and also individuals are among the curious ones that together create an emerging community where surveillance is a highly significant part.
IT and technology offers many great opportunities, but it should be used wisely – everything you can do, should not be done. Surveillance is sometimes needed, but it must be done with a great deal of respect for the individual and his or her right to privacy. States, authorities, companies and individuals’ desire to control can not be allowed to have a permanent priority over all other values in a society. Please go ahead and conduct digital surveillance against those that are suspected of serious crimes – but not the entire population. It requires some serious thinking when setting up a surveillance solution, especially an outdoor surveillance system. The suppliers of surveillance solutions have a big responsibility to get it right.
Below is a list of some of the automatic, software based forms of surveillance, registration and identification of people anywhere in the world that has been used already, or that are being used in scientific studies.
* E-mail traffic is stored
* Social media is stored and saved for life
* Lie detection over phone lines or cameras
* Children and young people’s movements are monitored via satellite
* Visits at websites are stored
* Behavior and body language is read by surveillance cameras to predict intentions
* Fuel supply in cars are turned off when exceeding speed limits
* Shops collects trade patterns which are used by the police for profiling
* Chatters’ friendships are identified by pattern recognition
* RFID chips implanted into the body so that the human presence can be registered
* Detection of anger and word recognition at e.g. call centers
* Digital scanning using road cams of license plates on passing, checking against databases
* Toll facilities register passing cars, and matches against databases
* Echelon, a global surveillance system, taps into telephony, email, fax and Internet traffic
* Insurance companies monitor speed, driving style and location of driving using satellites
* Geographic location is stored in cell phone use, and using triangulation and / or GPS.
* Search engines and free webmail account providers collect information about their users
* Mood Detection via surveillance cameras
* Internet filtering, which some states apply on a regular basis.
* Public transport trips (e.g. train and metro) is stored in databases
* Mobile phones electronic footprint gets analysed
* Financial transactions are monitored with pattern recognition
* Black boxes in cars, stores data on the journey, and send data (e.g. speed) to the authorities, which automatically send out speed tickets when speed limits have been violated.
* Staff Supervision in the workplace (including web surfing, the use of email, using words, pauses length, passes through doors, etc.)
* Face recognition through surveillance cameras
* Printers and copiers prints invisible traceability codes which can be mapped towards stores who have sold the products
* SMS traffic is stored
* Spyware Products reports what is being done on a computer
* Equipment in cars used for remote interception of conversations in the cockpit
* The private selection of TV shows can be recorded due to the digital technology
* Playing music and movies on individuals’ own equipment is monitored via the Internet by copyright owners through the system of copyright control
The fact that I publish this article have probably caused this to be registered and monitored already and that I have most likely been registered in a database somewhere, harga cctv outdoor avtech which can be used against me at an any time if someone wants that for some reason.
At the same time in our world of increasing crime rates, people want to protect themselves, their loved ones and their property. It’s a natural evolution when technology becomes more and more utilized in CCTV and IP based camera surveillance solutions even for personal use. In some countries the law enforcement is degrading and is by far not as good as in the USA and some other countries where law and order has priority over slimlined budgets.
By looking at the above list one could easily say that outdoor surveillance systems using IP or harga cctv hikvision 2mp based cameras are not the main threat against privacy and personal integrity. In fact, although it can be seen as a sad evolution at a first glance, the results of harga cctv outdoor avtech and digital camera based surveillance solutions can actually end up in decreasing crime rates, stronger bonds between neighbours, a sense of enhanced safety and thereby also enhanced quality of life. Setting up a surveillance system for private use is so easy now that most people can do it.
For some months I have met a number of companies within the surveillance industry in Northern Europe and talked to them on how they see themselves in relation to ethics, respect for the individual, their own responsibility and with a great humility about what they can do and what to do (and not). I quickly realized that an ethical approach is not as common as one would wish for, it is easy and fast money that rules. Of the eight companies only one company, Habitat Security, continuously stressed that the ethical aspect should always go hand in hand with the commercial interest coming out of a state of the art surveillance solution. They claimed that as long as they act ethically correct and with a strong integrity towards their clients and their requirements, they will gain more trust and customers, both short and long term. Their tactics have apparently paid off since they grow steadily and have got more international customers.
In the light of all the different technologies available, outdoor surveillance systems are not the big issue, in fact it seem to be the most harmless. The technology certainly gives a lot of opportunities and no one wants to stop evolution of the technology. What is needed is a strong sense of humility towards the technology and what you can do, respect for the individual and an ethical approach.
That being said, the threat towards privacy and personal integrity does not primarily come from surveillance cameras or outdoor surveillance systems. That technology is here to stay and when used correctly it has much to offer to enhance a community.