No More Cameras!

Constant and complete surveillance can definitely make our world a safer place, but there is a point where enough is enough. Of course there is the issue that our privacy is breached if we are monitored around the clock, but one lesser known issue is the price tag on surveillance systems. Like most technology, electronic surveillance systems are much cheaper now that they have been on the market for many years and are available to the public, but the big price comes with the new technology. Public locations already have cameras in every corner; enough where every street in major cities can be closely monitored. (The city of London has over 500,000 cameras!) Adding cameras in places where there are already heavy systems in place would surely enhance security, but at a point of diminishing return. For example if the current security system at Santa Clara University allows campus safety to monitor enough of the campus to prevent 50% of “undesired acts,” then it would be a bad decision to purchase a complimentary system if it would only increase that percentage to 55%. As for government spending on surveillance, one might argue that even the small increase in prevention from upgrading systems is worthwhile because it will save American lives. On the other hand, the money to upgrade the surveillance system could be better spent on the military, or other government programs.

Computer controlled surveillance

It is commonly known that surveillance is usually done on some sort of electronic device, with a human monitoring the video feed, pictures, voice recording, etc. New technology has taken this job away from humans and left it in the hands of computer programs. The way it works is that computers will have programmed into the ways suspicious people act, and it will direct video cameras to follow the person if the computer feels they are suspicious. For example, the computer can recognize if the same person has travelled by one location in an airport more than 4 times. It will then follow them and can decide whether that person is a threat based on details that most humans cannot even see. These details are called “micro-expressions.” They are short involuntary expressions that every human makes as they are thinking and moving about. The US military has begun a program called Project Hostile Intent that uses these computer controlled cameras to track down suspicious people and monitor their micro-expressions to determine their motives. This new technology is much more accurate, because often terrorists are trained not to use expressions, but micro-expressions are impossible to suppress. One other benefit is that racial profiling will be minimized, as long as the computer programs rely mostly on micro-expressions for ruling out threats.

Computer Surveillance: Privacy

The internet is almost like a completely different world. People can live their life differently in the physical world and the cyber world. This brings up the question of internet privacy. Every person has the right to their own privacy when in the confines of their home, so shouldn’t they have privacy on the internet? This question can be debated forever, but I will explain a couple of the pros and cons of internet privacy. Some people do things on the internet because they don’t want others to know what they are doing. This doesn’t mean what they are doing is bad, it just means the person wants to keep it private. For example, someone might have concerns about a health problem. If they are too self-conscious to go to a doctor, the internet is the perfect place for them to seek help. That person would no doubt argue that the government has no right to track down and use surveillance systems to see what sites he/she is looking at. It is nobody but her own business to know what she is doing. The argument on the other hand would be that it makes our country a safer place by giving government full access to police the internet. If we have nothing to hide about our internet use then there should be no reason to oppose the government searching your information and web logs. The debate is an ongoing one, and is not limited to internet privacy, but privacy in general.

Computer surveillance

One often overlooked type of surveillance is computer surveillance. It is misconception that surveillance is only when someone is actively looking at you with their own eyes. As our world becomes increasingly more built around computer systems, computer surveillance is becoming a bigger issue. With the introduction of the internet, terrorists and similar individuals found an extremely easy way to communicate. Governments worldwide quickly responded to threats over the internet by building huge anti-terrorist internet infrastructures. Every time you log on to the internet, you gain access through using an Internet Protocol (IP). Every action that is done on the internet can be traced back to by looking at log files associated with your specific IP. The US government has been able to stop large amounts of illegal activity and threats by tracking people down using IP’s. The United States government spends billions of dollars every year implementing and upgrading surveillance programs that help locate threats and illegal activity. It is to the governments advantage to do this, because it makes the internet a safer place, receives revenue from fines, and makes it easier to stop terrorist acts.

Types of Surveillance Technology

Currently there are many types of Surveillance technologies. The most widely used from of surveillance technology are video cameras. According the movie “Look,” the average American is caught on camera 200 times a day. In the last 30 years, surveillance cameras have become a staple for every public building. Even many private homeowners use cameras. Unfortunately the main reasons for this are because of theft, vandalism, and property damage. With hard evidence that a surveillance camera provides, criminals can be sure to get caught and [hopefully] choose not to participate in those illegal activities again. There are some good applications for surveillance cameras, such as cameras used to monitor small children to make sure nothing bad happens.

Other surveillance technology includes wiretapping into communications systems. This form of surveillance can allow a party, such as the government to gain private information. Of course there are ethical implications of doing this. Radar and satellite systems are another type of technology. Radar and satellite are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. An example of the uses of satellite surveillance technology is “Google Earth.” Using Google Earth it is possible to pinpoint any place in the world and view it topographically or in picture format. In Google Earth there are limitations on the zoom in feature, but one can only assume that satellites have the power to zoom in much farther with much higher quality.

Another large division of surveillance technology deals with ways to capture and use the surveillance. For example, innovative ways to attach microscopic video cameras to things like pens and t-shirts are being developed. In today’s world it is getting harder and harder to know if you are really “alone.”

History

I will start out my blog with a brief history of surveillance technology. There has always been a desire to gain knowledge about others through investigative means. When asked, there is no real 100 percent way of seeing if someone is telling the truth. Concrete evidence is the only way to prove something one way or another. Dating back to the beginning of time, people have been given jobs to watch over others in order to be a witness in case something goes wrong. For example, prison guards watch over inmates to make sure fights don’t start up, prohibit them from scheming, or to prohibit them from escaping. Guard towers were invented to make this job easier. Although the invention of the guard tower is not seen as a technological advance in surveillance, it is similar in the way that it makes the job of surveillance of inmates easier and more effective.

Many different entities have the need for surveillance, such as the government, companies, and individual persons.
The purpose of government is to protect the well being and rights of its citizens. Surveillance can be an effective tool in helping government achieve that goal. The problem is that at the same time surveillance can help government protect its people, it can violate the privacy and fundamental rights of individuals and companies alike. The issue between surveillance technology and privacy rights is one of the hot button issues of today’s world, and will be discussed further in subsequent blog entries.

Intro

My Blog topic will be Surveillance Technology. I find this an interesting topic, because of the many impacts surveillance can have on our lives. Some aspects of the topic include government use of surveillance and surveillance and privacy (ie. In dressing rooms to see if people are stealing clothes). With technologies like Google Earth easily accessible, I believe that surveillance technology will be a large issue politically and personally.