CCTV stands for Closed circuit television. It is a form of survaillance where the picture is viewed or recorded by a limited number of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted. CCTV is often used for surveillance in areas which need security, such as banks, casinos and airports. Today it has developed to the point where it is simple and inexpensive enough to be used in home security systems, and for everyday surveillance.
Basic Closed circuit television network
The widespread use of CCTV by the police and governments has developed over the last 10 years. In the UK, cities and towns across the country have installed large numbers of cameras linked to police authorities. The justification for the growth of CCTV in towns is that it deters crime, although there is still no clear evidence that CCTV reduces crime. The recent growth of CCTV in housing areas also raises serious issues about the extent to which CCTV is being used as a social control measure rather than simply a deterrent to crime.
The first CCTV cameras used in public spaces were crude, conspicuous, low definition black and white systems without the ability to zoom or pan. Modern CCTV cameras use small high definition colour cameras that can not only focus to resolve minute detail, but by linking the control of the cameras to a computer, objects can be tracked semi-automatically. For example, they can track movement across a scene where there should be no movement, or they can lock onto a single object in a busy environment and follow it. Being computerised, this tracking process can also work between cameras.
The development of CCTV in public areas, linked to computer databases of people's pictures and identity, presents a serious risk to civil liberties. Potentially you will not be able to meet anonymously in a public place. You will not be able to drive or walk anonymously around a city. Demonstrations or assemblies in public places could be affected, as the state would be able to collate lists of those leading them, taking part, or even just talking with protesters in the street.
Interestingly the use of CCTV cameras in the United States is much less common than the UK, though increasing. In 1998 there were a mere 3,000 CCTV systems found in New York City.
The most measurable effect of CCTV is not on crime prevention, but on detection and prosecution. Several notable murder cases have been solved with the use of CCTV evidence, notably the Jamie Bulger case, and catching David Copeland, the Soho nail bomber. The use of CCTV to track the movements of missing children is now routine.
Links of Interest
www.baitcar.com
www.cyber-rights.org
www.spystoreuk.com
www.iviewcameras.co.uk
www.ubermatic.org/life
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