1 [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] Yesil Is privacy “I don’t feel that being [surveillance] is done compromised with malice [to spy with the use on people]. I mean of cameras isn’t it great that circulating somebody is keeping everywhere? an eye out to make sure nothing goes awry?” (103) Yesil, had notes from various people to add to his book to have their personal input. This quote is from a woman named Jane who briefly mentions that she doesn’t see a problem with surveillance because its put in place for the good of the people. ACLU “Powerful surveillance tools also create temptations to abuse them for personal purposes. An investigation by the Detroit Free Press for example, showed that a database available to Michigan law enforcement was used by officers to help their friends or themselves stalk women, threaten motorists after traffic altercations, and track estranged spouses.” The people that were watching the videos were “…Privacy and public abusing their right interest are in by interfering into perpetual people’s personal competition, and that lives, which Nieto “Although no court has directly addressed this issue, under current interpretations of the First and Fourth Amendment and California tort law, video surveillance appears to represent a valid use of the state's power to protect its citizens. In this view, continuous video surveillance is analogous to a mechanical police officer. It does not intrude upon an individual's sphere of privacy, but rather records events occurring in public space for which individuals do not have reasonable expectations of McCullagh “Police are allowed in some circumstances to install hidden surveillance cameras on private property without obtaining a search warrant, a federal judge said yesterday.” Bilton “On one side of this issue we have people declaring that too much surveillance, especially in the form of wearable cameras and computers, is detrimental and leaves people without any privacy.” Increased surveillance Privacy is is leading to little or compromised no privacy at all. significantly because the cameras are placed without the person knowing and apparently that’s okay. "Placing a video camera in a location that allows law enforcement to record activities outside of a home and beyond protected curtilage 2 [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] privacy is typically portrayed as an individual value that can be relinquished for the sake of collective concerns and the greater good.” (103) included stalking women. “When citizens are being watched by the authorities - or aware they might be watched at any time - they are Simply put, privacy is more selfseen as an individual conscious and less preference that free-wheeling.” people just feel like sit’s important to People are less have but does not likely to act like necessarily do any their normal selves good to the general if they notice that population. people are watching their “If you are not doing every move anything wrong, then because they may who cares who’s feel uncomfortable. watching you? You don’t think about it after a while. You don’t even know that they’re there. You just go about your business.” (105) privacy.” does not violate the Fourth According to the Amendment," amendments listed Justice Department below and California prosecutors James law, video Santelle and William surveillance is not Lipscomb told invading anyone’s Callahan.” personal privacy. It simply just a “Advances in recording of public technology are activity. causing the legal system to rethink how Americans' privacy rights are protected by law.” As technology is advancing tremendously, privacy of individuals in society is being compromised. 3 [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] Some people are overly concerned with the privacy fiasco. Police officers argue that if you don’t have anything to hide why should you be concerned if anyone is watching you. You are only concerned about who is watching you if you are guilty of something. Is video “… surveillance “Video surveillance “Several courts have “Two defendants in “On the other side 4 surveillance effective in society? [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] system in question is not used to target a specific person, but rather to monitor the given public space and all the persons within it.” (106) Surveillance cameras are not used to target specific people or discriminate against certain individuals, rather it is used to protect and watch public places and the occupants at the time being. “Video surveillance programs have also been undertaken by urban planners, commercial interests and public/private partnerships seeking to render public places more secure and thus more profitable.” (33) has not been proven effective… suicide attackers are clearly not deterred by video cameras.” There is an argument that video cameras are used for protection but it has not shown that is actually helpful in preventing crime because people are still killing people. “The implicit justification for the recent push to increase video surveillance is the threat of terrorist attacks.” The main reason why there is a sudden push for video surveillance recognized video surveillance as one of the most mentally disconcerting forms of monitoring performed by government. For example, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court noted that "this type of surveillance provokes an immediate negative visceral reaction: indiscriminate video surveillance raises the specter of the Owellian State.” It is not effective to have video surveillance watching people because it provokes the people that are being watched. It is considered the worst type of monitoring. the case, Manuel Mendoza and Marco Magana of Green Bay, Wis., have been charged with federal drug crimes after DEA agent Steven Curran claimed to have discovered more than 1,000 marijuana plants grown on the property, and face possible life imprisonment and fines of up to $10 million.” It helped solved this crime where two brothers were illegally growing weed and are facing charges of life in jail. there are people who argue that a society with cameras everywhere will make the world safer and hold criminals more accountable for their actions.” If there are cameras posted everywhere the world will be a better place because there will be eyes everywhere. People who commit crimes will not be able to get away with it, which will lead to fewer crimes. “Do we want to live in a surveillance society that might ensure justice for all, yet privacy for none?” The question views both sides and how surveillance would be 5 [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] Partnerships and corporations are able to make money from homeowners if people realize that the place is secured and they have people watching/protecting their surroundings. is because of terrorist attacks. “There are at least 13 American cities in which law “put more thought enforcement into how they officials are dress, lest they look operating or like terrorists, gang implementing CCTV members, druggies video surveillance or hookers.” as a way to prevent crime and promote If people are being public safety. In watched they may some cities, the want to look, act, videos are passively dress a certain way recorded and played so they will not back at certain draw attention to intervals, while themselves and be other cities actively accused of arousing monitor the suspicion. surveillance images.” The cameras in big cities are used to aid in crime prevention. effective in society. Because more cameras will mean justice for everyone even though that will also mean there is not as much privacy. “In the case of Mr. Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, the most crucial evidence about how an altercation between the two began — one that ultimately led to Mr. Martin’s death — came down to Mr. Zimmerman’s word.” People boost about cameras making the world a better place but when a camera watch volunteer was 6 Pros of using video surveillance? [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] “Police departments N/A around the nation, in small towns and large cities alike have been using surveillance cameras to deter crime in public spaces, most prominently in streets, parks, public transportation areas and housing projects.” (33) Video surveillance is “If a continuous video surveillance device can intercept sound, and the surveillance constitutes a search, the police must first obtain a warrant prior to the installation of the device.” Video surveillance can not placed without the N/A needed to help in Trayvon Martin’s case it all came down to what the shooter said. There was no help with the video surveillance that should’ve helped the case because everything is on video right? Then what exactly is the point of video surveillance if it is not serving its purpose. “But if one of those witnesses — including Mr. Martin or Mr. Zimmerman — had been wearing Google Glass or another type of personal recording device, the facts of that night might have been much clearer.” Personal video surveillance will better get a glimpse of 7 [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] highly appreciated by police departments because it helps them solve cases and helps toward crime prevention if they already know what’s going on in the streets. knowledge of the person if it contains sound. Although the video can be placed up without the consent of the person it may not have sound to it. So what is being said is at least private. “In major cities such as Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City, cameras are primarily used to prevent terrorist attacks.” (33) “Advocates of CCTV video surveillance emphasize the technology's value in quickly apprehending criminals.” After 9/11 the government has been over protective about suspicious activity. In big cities like the ones mentioned it helps prevent terrorist from making attacks that could affect the Video surveillance helps catch criminals faster compared to areas that don’t have cameras. “CCTV video surveillance as a principal security measure to reduce situations that require more detail and help solve crime and also figure out the truth. “President Obama has defended the government’s spying programs, saying they help in the fight against terrorists and ensure that Americans stay safe.” The governments video surveillance “Prism” actually protects the American people and help keep terrorists away 8 [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] nation. Cons of using Video surveillance? “The second factor that shapes constructions of privacy has to do with the association of privacy with secrecy to hide some sort of misconduct or transgression.” (104) “The real reason cameras are usually deployed is to reduce much pettier crimes. But it has not even been demonstrated that they can do that.” The primary reason why some people feel like cameras is taking away from their privacy is because they are hiding something they should not be doing to begin with. Video surveillance is not doing the job that it’s supposed to do which is fighting crime, etc. It is used to fight baby crimes, which is not helping anyone. “…Video surveillance in schools and public places … has a gender and race bias.” (110) “In addition, U.S. government experts on security technology, noting that monitoring video screens is campus violence and prevent crimes such as theft and graffiti.” “On many occasions, police officials were unable to use remote video cameras images to prosecute criminals because quick movements by the criminals resulted in blurred pictures.” “Yesterday Griesbach adopted a recommendation by U.S. Magistrate Judge William Callahan dated October 9. That recommendation said that the DEA's warrantless surveillance did not In some occasions violate the Fourth video cameras do Amendment, which not really help prohibits because when the unreasonable video is looked at searches and the images are requires that blurry which defeats warrants describe the purpose of the the place that's video surveillance. being searched” “ Cameras planted in secrecy do not go against the 4th amendment, which basically means that “Data collection and video surveillance are only going to continue to grow as technology seeps into more areas of our culture, either strapped to our bodies as wearable computers or hovering over cities as inexpensive drones that monitor people from the sky.” “In the hands of an individual, the video camera can be a very empowering thing, When it’s employed by the government to watch over the citizens, it has the opposite effect.” 9 [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?] Some individuals believe that video surveillance is a negative because they are bias and lead to race issues. both boring and mesmerizing have found in experiments that after only 20 minutes of watching and evaluating monitor screens, the attention of most individuals has degenerated to well below acceptable levels." The people who are forced to watch these videos that are suppose to help society are not even watching the videos. There is so much that goes on but if they are getting bored after 20 minutes of watching then what is the point of the videos? Nobody is watching them. you need a search warrant before searching a specific place. “Justice Department's argument would allow police to install cameras on private property without court oversight -- subject only to budgetary limits and political pressure.” 10 [DOES VIDEO SURVEILLANCE PROTECT US OR INVADE OUR PRIVACY?]