MetaFilter posts tagged with cctv

This will not Orwell.

memebake — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:55:42 -0800

The Daily Express reports on a UK Government Announcement to expand the use of Family Intervention Projects. However, the Daily Express exaggerates the report somewhat, the article stating (apparently wildly incorrectly) that the UK Government "plans to put 20,000 problem families under 24-hour CCTV supervision in their own homes". Other reports in the UK press make no mention of CCTV. Nonetheless, the alarmist Express article is widely picked up and discussed on the internet, pushing many people past 10 on the Orwellometer. Then Mefite FfejL uses Twitter to ask Ed Balls, the minister responsible, if the CCTV aspect of the Express article is accurate. No, Jeff, it is complete nonsense is Ed Balls' reply. See also the original government accouncement and descriptions of Family Intervention Projects, which are already running in many parts of the UK. Apparently, in very extreme cases families may be moved from their (often state funded) homes to 'core residential units' for 24 hour support and supervision, but this is very different from the Express report of the government planning to put "20,000 problem families under 24-hour CCTV supervision" For an example of the situations the initiative is supposed to tackle, "The Addison family case study" in this PDF is interesting reading:

...Numerous agencies were trying to engage with Christine and her family. At the time of the project’s involvement there were around 20 agencies including the youth offending team, community mental health team, social services, education welfare officers, police, anti-social behaviour team, housing services, Connexions service, probation service, debt advice service, educational psychologist, etc. Christine and her children neither kept appointments with these professionals nor opened the door when they came to the house ... Christine and her family were costing services well in excess of £250,000 per year ...

Looking beyond the media curfuffle, there is an interesting question at the heart of this: When 'problem families' are ruining their own childrens prospects and making life miserable for the many people that may live near them, what is the correct response for a state to make?

Airstrip One

plexi — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:55:10 -0800

London police are now deleting tourists' photos because "photographing anything to do with transport is strictly forbidden."

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.

tybeet — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:14:23 -0800

BigBrotherFilter: Estimates place the number of CCTV cameras in the UK at 4.2 million, but how can these images all possibly be watched? Researches in Turkey have an answer: an eye-gaze tracking system placed on the CCTV operators themselves which can "then automatically produces a summary of the CCTV video sequences they have missed during their shift". From NewScientist article. "This increases the reliability of the surveillance system by giving a second chance to the operator." The system uses webcam-style cameras trained on the irises of the CCTV operators. From this, software works out where the operators are looking as they stare at each monitor - and the areas they have not been paying attention to. From this it creates a video of what they missed, for them and their bosses to watch at the end of their shift. To make sure the summary can be watched as quickly as possible, Vural and Akgul have developed an algorithm that discards frames that show only the background with no people or moving vehicles in them, to leave only a few key frames for each scene of interest. Vural says the system runs on a standard PC and processes the images in real time, so the summary frames are ready to browse, like a fast-motion flip book, at the end of the shift.

CCTV is progressive?

patricio — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:14:00 -0800

"The idea that the state is an unwarranted assault on individual freedom is not a progressive one. This kind of libertarianism works to protect privilege by cloaking the advantages of the rich in the garb of personal autonomy, individual freedom and the “human right” to privacy." Or so says Professor Gearty in an article in the New Statesman. Via David Miliband's blog, in which he also salutes the debunking of the 'myth' that people in Britain are captured "300 times a day on CCTV"

Big Brother is watching you! But don't watch him!

Don't_deceive_with_belief — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:44:20 -0800

Police do it to the British public 24/7/365. It has become pervasive in the UK and shows little sign of changing. Apparently, however, Joe Blogs may find that his rights may be greatly compromised when photographing Police or even criminals. With big question marks hanging over the efficacy of CCTV coupled with their increasing sophistication are we sacrificing too many of our human rights as well as our privacy for little to no real gain? If we can see an event in public, should we not be able to make a record of that event? For art? For an aide memoir? For historical documentation? Unlike Orwell's 1984 seems Big Brother is actually camera shy. [Previously on MeFi]

SexCCTV.

gman — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:24:57 -0800

Giles Walker created fully animated robot pole dancers to see if it was possible to make CCTV cameras sexy using simple mechanics. Part of the “Mutate London” exhibition at the Behind the Shutters Gallery. SFW

I feel safer.

gman — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:25:45 -0800

Not only will SAFEE ensure 9/11 never happens again, but it will also catch unruly passengers.

We're all blue from projection tubes

whir — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:53:47 -0800

UK band The Get Out Clause made their newest video by performing in front of 80 of London's approximately 13 million CCTV cameras, and then requesting the footage via the Data Protection Act. The footage was then edited together into this music video. This technique was apparently prefigured by Irish band The Frames, who used a single camera in a post office to make a £2 video. via.

I'm watching you reading this post right now.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:01:26 -0800

The 2007 International Privacy ranking. Privacy International website | Wikipedia (also contains 2006 map) Wired | The Register | Guardian

Neighbourhood Watch 2.0?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:56:52 -0800

Frustrated with perceived inefficacy of local law enforcement and government, residents of Calle de la Montera have started posting video of criminal behaviour (mainly prostitution) on their street to YouTube. The Data Protection Agency (tasked with privacy enforcement) is not amused (in Spanish; machine translation), but the neighbourhood watch group maintains it is not breaking the law (m.t.).

Big Brother is Watching You. On CCTV.

homunculus — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:09:39 -0800

George Orwell, Big Brother is watching your house. With CCTV. Perhaps the Surveillance Camera Players could put on a performance there. It looks like Britain really is becoming a surveillance society . [Via Digg.]

CCTV Nightvision phone

priorpark17 — Thu, 04 May 2006 02:28:28 -0800

A nightvision camera you phone up This seems to be a wireless CCTV camera that you phone up with your mobile and watch what is going on. It says it works in the dark. Now what would anybody use that for? As you dial it I guess it has it's own sim. "Pupillo", err horrid name.

In the future, the whole world will be like a video game....

fenriq — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 12:17:31 -0800

Closed Circuit TV and Data Confluence
Qinetiq is bringing their CCTV confluence technology, codenamed Praetorian, to the UK. "The system automatically tracks and stitches 3D images with CCTV video, maps and other real-time information. It automatically alerts operators to intruders, unusual behaviour, left objects or anything it is told to spot." And it looks more like a video game than a video feed. This new tech is perhaps not as controversial as Qinetiq's Millimetre Wave Imaging System that allows passive scanning through clothing to detect guns, knives or bombs.
Yes, it is very Big Brother-esque but its also pretty amazing technology too. Qinetiq previously discussed on MeFi here, here, here and here.

Ghost caught on CCTV

Dome-O-Rama — Sat, 20 Dec 2003 02:40:51 -0800

There's a Ghost in King Henry's Court and it was caught on film. "Security staff heard alarms ringing near an exhibition hall, indicating fire doors had been opened. But on investigation they found the doors closed. Perplexed, they examined CCTV footage and that is when it got spooky. The cameras showed the heavy doors popping open but no one there. Then, suddenly, the long-coated figure appeared and slammed the doors shut." [More links]

Steven Den Beste — Sun, 21 Oct 2001 18:53:40 -0800

A pickup bar for geeks. 60 TV cameras on the ceiling can be controlled by bar patrons from stations all over the bar, to snoop on other people. See someone you like? Send 'em an email; and maybe if you hit it off you can walk across the bar and actually talk to them.