You are being watched.
Closed Circuit TV (or CCTV) systems are currently in use all over the world in an ongoing attempt to decrease crime and terrorism. As a citizen of the United States my exposure to CCTV systems is fairly limited, usually just inside shopping centers, casinos or parking lots and garages. My perception changed after a visit to London and three events that happened to me during my stay. First off, CCTV cameras seemed to be on every block, facing in every direction. This seemed like a major breach of privacy to me, but I could understand their usefulness as a deterrent and as a tool for the police. Secondly, during my visit I had lost my passport, and in my search to find it I ended up in an underground surveillance room to fill out some paperwork. In the room were two people, staring at a wall of monitors showing CCTV feeds. Again I was amazed how the citizens of London had their everyday lives watched. I eventually had to pay a visit to the US embassy, where the third event happened and I saw the possible value of CCTV. A news report was on TV in the waiting area, and it showed CCTV footage of a child being kidnapped. By the time I left the embassy a few hours later, the perpetrators had been caught as a direct result of the CCTV footage. I came away from the whole ordeal wondering if the trade of privacy for security was worthwhile. I had been shocked at what I saw, yet had seen exactly why it was in place.
Well, current CCTV developments have made it easy for me to know where I stand. A system called AISight is being used around the globe, and it is terrifying.
