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Law & You — Time to Regulate Use of Security Cameras 10/12/05 |
This story focuses on the perils of having a
CCTV camera,
hidden camera or
night vision camera watching your every move. Privacy is a major concern for people both at work and at home.
There is an upsurge in the use of
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera technology, with the Government heavily promoting its use to monitor buildings and streets as a key plank in its law and order strategy.
However, there are no laws to ensure that such schemes are run properly, given how close they come to invading individual privacy.
Fuelled by fear of crime and a somewhat overblown notion that the technology is the solution, the system may take on a life of its own, quashing public debate.
Soon, questions and challenges touching on fundamental tenets of justice will arise. Unfortunately, we are already well on our way to a surveillance society, with no guarantee to individual privacy.
Individual freedom should not be sacrificed, even with the clearest of intentions. We need to build a society where people are, and feel free to engage in all manner of activities without feeling monitored. Unless of course the activities are a threat to other peoples' freedom.
We, thus, need to debate the extent to which powerful technologies such as linked
CCTV cameras should be deployed in our midst. Which areas should they cover, and to what use should the data so collected be used?
The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) apparently does not see
CCTV cameras as a threat to privacy. Neither does the Government.
Ranked together with the likes of remote controls for home televisions, it is seen as a low power device, and thus out of the commission's realm of control.
CCTV cameras are already installed on some city streets. Their use on private property is also becoming popular. Estate associations will soon follow suit and independently organize their own surveillance initiatives.
The boom has extended even inside homes. There is an upsurge in the use of
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera technology, with the Government heavily promoting its use to monitor buildings and streets as a key plank in its law and order strategy.
Victims of domestic violence are being urged to
conceal video cameras in their homes to collect evidence. And if you are unlucky your employer may have installed one to supervise and track staff movement.
And if you thought that these devices only operate where there is light, then you've got it wrong. The systems involve sophisticated technology. Features include
night vision, computer assisted operation, and motion detection facilities which allows the operator to instruct the system to go on red alert when anything moves in view of the cameras.
The clarity of the pictures is usually excellent, with many
night vision systems being able to read a cigarette packet at a hundred meters. The systems can often work in pitch-blackness, bringing images up to daylight level.
All this brings in the need for the Government to prohibit or restrict use of
CCTV cameras, and to institute a range of protections and legislation.
Surveillance should only be conducted within legal safeguards, so legislation must be passed without delay. The CCK should have a say in the establishment, installation, running and auditing of systems.
The code should restrict the use of information obtained by
CCTV to that of prevention or detection of criminal activity, or the apprehension and prosecution of offenders; no other purpose.
That way, you and I will walk tall on the streets, shopping malls, and supermarkets and in our homes, knowing well that our privacy is protected.
Source: allafrica.com
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