Comments on: Open surveillance to the public http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/ Tim McCormack, distilled. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:58:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Barking Squirrel http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-20252 Barking Squirrel Tue, 25 Dec 2007 16:16:21 +0000 http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-20252 The next great equalizer; video surveillance. Mankind cannot handle the technology we have. We've plundered our environment. regulated and even oppressed our fellow human beings with the aid of technology. How will freely available video surveillance be any better? We all have to work faster and faster, like puppets on a string, to live in society and pay the bills. We have fewer and fewer freedoms as we are expected to perform and act a certain way. When you hold a spring down the pressure has to go somewhere, sometime. Video surveillance is repressive. Is that healthy? Will the repressiveness eventually be released in unexpected ways? I would venture to say we're starting to see evidence of this now. And how will this new tool be used by business to up our productivity? And by the way, who's going to pay for the bandwidth? The next great equalizer; video surveillance.

Mankind cannot handle the technology we have. We've plundered our environment. regulated and even oppressed our fellow human beings with the aid of technology. How will freely available video surveillance be any better?
We all have to work faster and faster, like puppets on a string, to live in society and pay the bills. We have fewer and fewer freedoms as we are expected to perform and act a certain way. When you hold a spring down the pressure has to go somewhere, sometime. Video surveillance is repressive. Is that healthy? Will the repressiveness eventually be released in unexpected ways? I would venture to say we're starting to see evidence of this now. And how will this new tool be used by business to up our productivity?
And by the way, who's going to pay for the bandwidth?

]]> By: Council Taking Bids for Downtown Cameras at cvillenews.com http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15155 Council Taking Bids for Downtown Cameras at cvillenews.com Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:54:53 +0000 http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15155 [...] for $300k, though it remains to be seen what the bids determine is feasible. I’m fond of Tim McCormack’s proposal that, fine, we put up the cameras, but that all the video be streamed real-time to the [...] [...] for $300k, though it remains to be seen what the bids determine is feasible. I’m fond of Tim McCormack’s proposal that, fine, we put up the cameras, but that all the video be streamed real-time to the [...]

]]> By: S.Meyer http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15117 S.Meyer Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:56:31 +0000 http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15117 The use of most Surveillance cameras in germany is forbidden. Its a long way to get em to work outside railroud stations and airports. And in my opinion its a good thing. A Camera isnt able to fix problems caused by people or a system. The use of most Surveillance cameras in germany is forbidden. Its a long way to get em to work outside railroud stations and airports. And in my opinion its a good thing.

A Camera isnt able to fix problems caused by people or a system.

]]> By: Tim McCormack http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15105 Tim McCormack Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:03:27 +0000 http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15105 @Gomez: Oooh, <em>controllable</em> webcams would be a blast! @Gomez: Oooh, controllable webcams would be a blast!

]]> By: Gomez http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15102 Gomez Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:25:34 +0000 http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15102 Hmm. I started the first controllable webcam company in 96 (long since sold it) and we had a lot of discussions about this; you are articulating what I called the 'little brother' approach (if the cams are all owned and operated by the state, or some closed-source entity, then it is Big Brother - but if they are open, then everybody gets to be his/her own 'little brother') We actually formed a working committee to write a national white paper about the issue - where should you expect privacy? (English common law generally holds that if you are on a public street you have no expectation of privacy) - also in our group was the general counsel for the National Air and Space Museum (they were installing cams in the Hall of Flight), and the general counsel at UC Berkeley - they (ironically) had a controllable camera on Sproul Plaza, a/k/a Free Speech Plaza from the Mario Savio days. They solved their dilemma by not letting you zoom in too far to prevent identification of individual faces - but distinctive clothing, or bicycles, or something usually made it possible to track individuals anyway. For some additional historic background, check the WikiPedia page on the Panopticon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon ) -- or read up on the utopian communities like Phalanx, NJ, built around the general ideas of Jeremy Bentham. Hmm. I started the first controllable webcam company in 96 (long since sold it) and we had a lot of discussions about this; you are articulating what I called the 'little brother' approach (if the cams are all owned and operated by the state, or some closed-source entity, then it is Big Brother - but if they are open, then everybody gets to be his/her own 'little brother')

We actually formed a working committee to write a national white paper about the issue - where should you expect privacy? (English common law generally holds that if you are on a public street you have no expectation of privacy) - also in our group was the general counsel for the National Air and Space Museum (they were installing cams in the Hall of Flight), and the general counsel at UC Berkeley - they (ironically) had a controllable camera on Sproul Plaza, a/k/a Free Speech Plaza from the Mario Savio days. They solved their dilemma by not letting you zoom in too far to prevent identification of individual faces - but distinctive clothing, or bicycles, or something usually made it possible to track individuals anyway.

For some additional historic background, check the WikiPedia page on the Panopticon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon ) -- or read up on the utopian communities like Phalanx, NJ, built around the general ideas of Jeremy Bentham.

]]> By: Tim McCormack http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15098 Tim McCormack Sun, 24 Jun 2007 03:53:46 +0000 http://www.brainonfire.net/2007/06/21/surveillance-for-the-public/#comment-15098 Yes, the infamous Stanford prison experiment. (And some other follow-ups that were less...ah..."in-depth".) Yes, the infamous Stanford prison experiment. (And some other follow-ups that were less...ah..."in-depth".)

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