Cambodia Wants Mandatory Surveillance Cameras In Internet Cafes
from the don't-give-them-ideas dept
Large-scale surveillance of private communications is becoming depressingly routine, even in supposedly enlightened democracies. In less freedom-loving locations, Internet cafes are viewed with particular suspicion, and subject to tight controls. But it looks like Cambodia is taking surveillance of Internet cafes in particular, and communications in general, to new heights/depths:
All telecommunications operators, sales outlets and distributors are obliged to register their business at local authorities. Meanwhile, all locations serving telephone services and Internet shall be equipped with closed circuit television camera and shall store footage data of users for at least 03 months. Telephone service corporation owners along public roads shall record National Identity Cards of any subscriber.
Alarmingly, the Global Voices story quoted above suggests that there's more to come:
The circular could be a model for a more comprehensive cyber legislation which the government plans to enact this year.
In the good old days, the West might have criticized such moves as disproportionate and oppressive. But as has happened with censorship, it long ago lost what moral authority it had in the area of surveillance. Probably the most we can hope to do is to stop our own governments following suit.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: cambodia, internet cafe, surveillance
