CCTV Expanding Its Reach
What country will be the next to protect its citizens with CCTV?
England has settled into the concept of the government watching them where ever it wants. In this island country, CCTV cameras are as common as cracks in the sidewalk.
Movies, TV shows, and even books utilize the technology to further their plots. In a 2006 episode of “Dr. Who,” the British version of CCTV is used to spy on the Doctor and to prepare for his arrival.
As entertaining as it may seem, not everyone is enthused about the idea of the government watching their every move.
On another island further south, the citizens of Greece are struggling with this very issue - how much government oversight is too much?
During the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, CCTV was placed through the venues as part of a massive security plan. It was a successful and safe Olympic Games without any major incidents taking place.
When the Olympic Games were over and the tourists and athletes had all gone home, the cameras remained. The Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis believes that this system is no longer effective and consistently under performs. He also believes that the government should be as concerned for its own citizens as it was for tourist during the games. This would mean and overhaul of the current CCTV system.
The citizens of Athens don’t seem to notice the surveillance systems. Most believe that it is used mainly for monitoring traffic. A few feel that the government uses the CCTV to monitor its citizens. A surprising thirty-six percent of the people polled felt the government used the surveillance for both purposes. Even more shocking is that only 26 percent wanted the cameras removed.
CCTV is not likely to catch on in all countries. Places like the United States, which traditional allow surveillance to protect private business, balk at the expansion of the systems into strictly government monitored cameras. Even during this era of terrorism threats, some people are more interested in privacy than they are in protection.
About the Author
Kathryn Lang is a freelance security writer for http://www.security-talk.co.uk and http://www.cctv-core.co.uk.
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