CannonSpeak.com » Surveillance

Surveillance - be careful what you ask for . . .

admin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:32:31 +0000

Surveillance cameras are a new tool and the majority of Americans approve of the use of surveillance. Maybe that’s because they are fed up with the increase in crime. But, there isn’t an increase in crime, there is just an increase in the media coverage of criminal events. The technology is also making this possible.
Surveillance cameras are a relatively new technology. And the technology is getting better with each passing month. The images are now in high definition color instead of the old grainy, blurry black and white images. And, people have said for years that there is too much data to review so it doesn’t matter if someone has stored video. But, software developers are creating applications that digitally compare and analyze the video so that humans are not required to manually view the videos.
We are fast approaching and creating an environment where citizens will or can be kept under 24 hour surveillance. This creates the possibility of a government forcing complete and total obedience.
Does this sound crazy? Of course it does! It also sounds scary! Communities are already installing red light cameras at intersections and radar speed detectors on highways. What’s to prevent having these devices installed on every intersection and every highway. Then, a drive in the car will be like driviing a car on a track at Disney. Every car goes the same speed. Is that what you want? Mom used to always say “Be careful what you ask for, because you might just get it.”

Red light camera abuse

admin — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:00:22 +0000

More and more cities across the U.S. are installing red light cameras at intersections and there are more and more reports of abuse. In Houston, TX the red light cameras are frequently justified by pointing out the large number of tickets that are issued at the intersections where they are installed. I’ve been thinking about this and actually I very seldom ever see a driver run a red light. So, I decided to do my own investigation.

I’ve decided there are a couple of reasons that explain the high number of citations. First, the darn things don’t use good judgement or any judgement. I saw the camera flash several times when drivers were only several feet into the intersection. If a patrol unit was at the red light they would not have issued a ticket. Also, I noticed at one of the intersections the camera flashed on rolling right turns. Same situation, I don’t think a patrol unit would have even issued a ticket.

I concluded that the red light cameras are not protecting us from wild and reckless drivers that are speeding through red lights. No indeed! My observation is that the cameras are merely abusing law abiding citizens that are driving safely.

The even larger issue is the over use of technology. Our Congress and Senate must enact legislation to protect citizens from abuse. This is a big problem. We are quickly moving to a time when every mile of every road will be under video surveillance. Every intersection will have a red light camera and photo radar units will be installed to control speed. This is true! Photo radar is already installed in some cities.

Highway video cameras

admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:02:39 +0000

The highway surveillance cameras are becoming increasingly popular. Many people consider these an intrusion into the public’s privacy and that the cameras constitute an unreasonable search. The intrusion is not warranted, because there is no probable cause of wrongdoing. How long will American’s accept this? Until every mile of every road is under video surveillance?

The use of surveillance cameras on highways is justified as a means to “monitor traffic”. That’s lame. The only logical use of such an extensive network of cameras is to provide state, county and city officials the ability to monitor individuals as they drive on the highways.

Many people take a so what? attitude about the installation of surveillance cameras. Many people believe that the cameras will make the road safer. But . . . what if someday every mile of every road was under constant video surveillance? Would you like that? I doubt it! And, yet, this is closer to fact than nd is EXACTLY the case in Great Britain.

Drone surveillance

admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:51:21 +0000

Do we need to have unmanned drones flying in the sky with video and other sensors for spying on Americans? The Miami Police Department thinks so and is seeking approval from the FAA to use the 14 lb. Honeywell drones in their fight against crime. Believe me, I’m all for fighting crime! But, there is the real chance that Americans are giving up too much liberty in the post-2001 era. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is also beginning to use drones along the Mexico and Canada borders.

The problem is that modern technology is far outpacing our Constitution. I believe that Madison and Jefferson would have outlawed drone surveillance if drones had been around when the Constitution was written. We need legislation to provide appropriate safeguards for the public before we start putting surveillance cameras in the air.