Public surveillance raises privacy concerns

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=573&NewsID=597141&CategoryID=742&show=localnews&om=1

Coming soon to Howard County: 24-hour video surveillance cameras in public places, monitored by the county police.

"There's a real big brother aspect to it," said Stacey Mink, development director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. "There's something creepy about being looked at all the time."

"We think security cameras don't really provide an extra measure of security," she said. "And they are an attack on privacy rights."

buildings in the neighborhood plus heliocopters w/ powerful cameras hovering in tthe same spot 24/7. very creepy stuff. the facists learn this stuff from the other facists.

It is an abuse where people behind the cameras will be allowed without any accountability or their own identity made public, to collect information on people by following them and monitoring their activities and patterns.


Its actually a form of stalking, which is being made legal when in fact it violates our Constitutional rights and liberties.

Needless to say, a severe imbalance of power will be created by such one-sided spying, in the official name of "surveillance" and those being monitored will have essentially little recourse due to those doing the observing will be safely hidden behind a camera.

No accountability for those spying/monitoring. Increased vulnerability/diminished empowerment/freedom by those being watched.

I'm reminded of a recent news article about a science experiment that demonstrated that people, many times, know when they're being clandestinely watched.

Obviously, if one is up to no good, I would think knowing they're being watched would certainly change their behavior. Otherwise, what is the point of watching?

But what about people who are legally going about their own affairs? Is this group's behavior unconsciously changed? (feel The Stress lately?)