When Everyone Can Log Into Surveillance Cameras
from the surveillance-society dept
We've seen plenty of articles about people concerned about the increase in surveillance cameras - which are basically showing up everywhere. However, at the same time, most people don't seem to mind the thousands of user-controlled webcams that are showing up as well. These aren't designed for surveillance purposes. They are just simple webcams set up so that anyone can log into a website and view what the camera sees - and often gain control over the camera as well. The article veers back and forth a bit between these cameras and the increase in surveillance cameras and suggests it's something we should be concerned about. However, most people don't seem to care. They know they're in a public spot, and it's sometimes nice to know there's a camera there (whether for safety, for novelty, or to be able to wave to someone back home). The article has an obligatory David Brin quote and reference about how a surveillance society might help citizens fight back against police-state style actions. However, someone points out that it's a bit ironic that we're trying to stop potential terrorists from being able to monitor various tourist attractions, while then setting up webcams they can control from anywhere in the world. On the whole, I think the article is making more out of this than it really deserves. These are public places, after all, and there's nothing particularly nefarious about having a camera out there.
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