"When we had the G20 summit in Toronto.. MANY cameras went up temporarily .. They are still up."
I've heard that.
"It is not just China.. It is everywhere."
True enough, but so far it is less about Big Brother watching citizens to ensure conformity, though the potential is there. Curiously, speed cams came off of state highways where I live, because they violate federal law, and the state accepted federal money to help build/improve the highways. Not only that, citizen groups were able to cite studies that those cams actually contributed accidents then drivers became dangerously startled by the flashes even when they were not the offending driver. And in some communities, the cams have come down in response to citizen protests.
Interestingly too, we had an incident of arson here where after closing someone twice attempted to burn down an historic landmark burgers and suds bar that offers real bull riding. The second try succeeded. Of course the arena was not damaged, but the old bar full of Wild West artifacts and rodeo memorabilia was totally destroyed. Many days afterwards, police asked uphill residential neighbors if they had security cameras that may have captured the arsonist at work. They found one.
The film showed a female known to the bar owner and staff, and who had been kicked out earlier the evening of the fire. She's is not in prison for a very long time.
My point is, these privately owned cameras are probably not much of a risk to honest people when used for honest purposes. The risk is in government taking over to watch everything we do under the pretense of public safety, and it commercial interests learning and remembering more about us than we are capable of knowing ourselves. In this, commercial intrusions in our lives is becoming inescapable.
My wife recently cruised the Web site of a car buying service. Suddenly we got phone calls and e-mail from dealers around the area, a very unwanted consequence of using our membership in a certain organization. ...never realized they would have shared our contact info. We found something cheaper elsewhere anyway.
Long a go I used AAA buying service for a new truck. ...never had to talk with, or meet anyone else. I urged my wife to go to them first, but she has to walk her own path. |
