"Remain where you are, citizen!" - Talking CCTV camera madness

[duckorange]

Just when you thought that the world couldn't get any more mental, and that we still had any civil liberties left, here come the talking CCTV cameras

I'm surprised that nobody has yet said "If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about" yet, but I suppose it's still early doors.

[Slaaaaabs]

"Leave it Darren, e's not worth it!"

How ridiculously ineffective. They need to shoot tazer darts or something.

[Uncle TechTip]

I'm surprised that nobody has yet said "If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about" yet, but I suppose it's still early doors.

Give us a chance, at the point you wrote this there weren't any replies.

It's hard to argue against the recording of images and the barking of orders in a public place - unless you're coming from a viewpoint of "function creep". But still, public areas are just that. If CCTV had been around in Victorian times, be damn sure that it would've been deployed.

[Joy Nktonga]

"I say sir, please cease ripping that prostitute!"

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

"You have twenty seconds to comply!"

[Morrisfan82]

"Hey you! Yes, you! Are you wallpapering that plough?"

[Al Tha Funkee Homosapien]

What they fail to realise is that telling people what to do usually makes them do the opposite and tell you to fuck off.

[Entropy Balsmalch]

What most surprised me about this news is that I'm sure a few years ago when I was working in Preston in Lancashire, these were already around.

[ziggy starbucks]

Hey you, get off my cloud!

[Blumf]

"Hey you! Pick up that litter!... Don't you flick the V at me!... Do not throw that brick at the camera!... Wait right there, there will be a police officer around to arrest you for vandalism in about 10 minutes... No, I said wait there! Come back! Now!... Please?"

Meanwhile in the offices of a major CCTV suppliers:
"Put another bundle of 50 quid notes on the fire, it's getting a bit chilly again. now about this years Labour Party conference, how many tables are we going to sponsor? Yeah Blunket's DNA ID company is going for 5 this year I hear..."

[biggytitbo]

I'm surprised that nobody has yet said "If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about" yet, but I suppose it's still early doors.

Give us a chance, at the point you wrote this there weren't any replies.

It's hard to argue against the recording of images and the barking of orders in a public place - unless you're coming from a viewpoint of "function creep". But still, public areas are just that. If CCTV had been around in Victorian times, be damn sure that it would've been deployed.

No it isn't. It's very easy. This is just going way to far - faceless government voices humiliating people in public to behave, horrible.

'The home secretary said competitions were being held at schools in many of the areas for children to become the voice of the cameras'

I feel sick.

The total destruction of trust between the public and the authorities. Can we have microphones in Parliament so we can tell the politicians what we think of their behaviour? No.  This is not about crime prevention or anti social behaviour, its social conditioning and brainwashing pure and simple. Behave or be publicly humiliated.

'Hey you, the bald man in the sweater...No not you, the fat one. Not you, the ugly one near the bench. - You've just dropped a sweet wrapper, pick it up or else.' In a child's voice.

What's wrong with discreet patrols, who can have a quiet word with someone making a nuisance of themselves? Well you can't frighten and humiliate people into behaving exactly how you tell them that way can you?

The most sinister aspect of the whole thing is the total blase, whimsical way it's being reported in the news, almost as if it was the final item about a skateboarding duck. What have we become!

[Pinball]

I find the name & shame aspect quite an amusing prospect.

"Adrian, stop peeing against that lamp post! That's the 10th time this week!"

Or shouting "wake up!" at tramps.

Or the classic "Madam, you have suffered an emotional trauma. An officer will be with you shortly".

How about "panic room" safe areas? A bit like night time ATMs in banks. If you were being pursued, you could run in and hit a panic button. They'd better make that glass bulletproof though!

But seriously, I wish they'd invest our money in more sensible things like more wifi spots. This country has a serious Orwell fetish thing going on.

[ziggy starbucks]

Get your hair cut, young man!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Expect a rise in CCTV vandalism.


I doubt they'd have to say much except a sinister "I can seeee you." Most people hate the thought of being watched doing anything, so in 18 months we'll live in a lawless utopia. Maybe.

[ziggy starbucks]

"There'll be no swearing in Norwich town centre!!!!"

*mechanical arms shoot out of Dixon's, grab the offender and vigourously wash his mouth out with soap and water*

[Neville Chamberlain]

Talking CCTV cameras?

Whatever next!

Dancing phone boxes?!?

[ziggy starbucks]

exploding bins?

[biggytitbo]

If its a town centre how exactly do they single out the person in a crowd without referring to specific physical characteristics?

On a serious note, there's clearly something deeply wrong with the British pyshe if we're prepared to accept this and laugh it off. This would never happen in France or even in America. They just would not put up with been dehumanised and humiliated in public by faceless government voices. These cameras would be smashed to pieces in 5 minutes flat. Time to support you're local teenage gang of trouble makers I think!

[Pinball]

I'd just ignore it. What are they going to do? Most CCTV images are nowhere near clear enough to identify people, especially if they wear hoodies. Daft idea.

The next obvious progression, which they would really have to do, is to include some form of armamentarium in the CCTV cameras, such as:

- Mosquito high frequency speakers that are uncomfortable for teenagers but no-one over 17.
- Highly focused ultrasound that causes discomfort and vomiting.
- Squirt dye that enables identification.

All this techno-control misses the vital element that humans are a far more effective tool. Like speed and dangerous driving. The two are not the same thing, and cameras only reduce one of them, sometimes unnecessarily so (from the POV of accident prevention). It would be far better to have more police patrols.

I suspect that HMG is rolling out a well-known management mantra of "automate everything you can", but doing it in a rather silly way.

[biggytitbo]

I'd just ignore it. What are they going to do? Most CCTV images are nowhere near clear enough to identify people, especially if they wear hoodies. Daft idea.

The next obvious progression, which they would really have to do, is to include some form of armamentarium in the CCTV cameras, such as:

- Mosquito high frequency speakers that are uncomfortable for teenagers but no-one over 17.
- Highly focused ultrasound that causes discomfort and vomiting.
- Squirt dye that enables identification.

All this techno-control misses the vital element that humans are a far more effective tool. Like speed and dangerous driving. The two are not the same thing, and cameras only reduce one of them, sometimes unnecessarily so (from the POV of accident prevention). It would be far better to have more police patrols.

I suspect that HMG is rolling out a well-known management mantra of "automate everything you can", but doing it in a rather silly way.

Facial recognition cameras are already here and there is a massive digital  upgrade of CCTV cameras currently underway. Over the next 5-10 years every single man woman and child in the country will have a high quality digital photo taken of their face either for their passport or their ID card. Facial recognition is already so advanced it can scan 100's of faces in a crowd in real time, even accounting for the subjects been at angles or wearing glasses or hats. There is so much our imaginatve leaders in the home office will be able to do with all this technology. It will probably involve removing all human element to it.

Do something considered wrong by our benevolent leaders. 2 days later you'll get an automated fine through the post. Hell, they'll have control of our bank accounts by then, just deduct the fine straight from your wages.

5-10 years later, the RFID chip in your ID card will be connected to the CCTV, microphones and body scanning cameras in every street and public place for total 24/7 surveillance and monitoring without any human intervention been needed.

It will happen.

[mothman]

It strikes me as a rather high-tech version of the stocks in the public square. And it'll never work, someone will sue for mental anguish and distress and that'll be that.

[Suttonpubcrawl]

5-10 years later, the RFID chip in your ID card will be connected to the CCTV, microphones and body scanning cameras in every street and public place for total 24/7 surveillance and monitoring without any human intervention been needed.

It will happen.

Oh yeah, along with those completely impossible DNA tests you were talking about which see if someone has criminal tendencies.

You're such a fucking idiot.

[biggytitbo]

A comment on the BBC have your say thread (which is almost unanimously against)

I totally disagree with this scheme and have actually been a victim of the talking CCTV. Whilst crossing the road in Whitley Bay i was shouted at by a person controlling the camera and told to walk 100 metres up the road to use the zebra crossing. Im 30 years old thank you very much and quite capable of deciding where i cross the street. The police were called and i was given a warning! Not only has it put me off going to Whitley Bay but it has also made me more determined to cross where i want.

[Hypnotoad.]

5-10 years later, the RFID chip in your ID card will be connected to the CCTV, microphones and body scanning cameras in every street and public place for total 24/7 surveillance and monitoring without any human intervention been needed.

It will happen.

Oh yeah, along with those completely impossible DNA tests you were talking about which see if someone has criminal tendencies.

You're such a fucking idiot.

I wonder what we'd have said if 5 years ago he'd come on here waffling about talking CCTV, pilotless surveillance aircraft, a ban on protests outside parliament blah di fucking blah

[biggytitbo]

5-10 years later, the RFID chip in your ID card will be connected to the CCTV, microphones and body scanning cameras in every street and public place for total 24/7 surveillance and monitoring without any human intervention been needed.

It will happen.

Oh yeah, along with those completely impossible DNA tests you were talking about which see if someone has criminal tendencies.

You're such a fucking idiot.

http://rfidtimes.blogspot.com/2006/09/rfid-and-cctv-interface-to-help-people.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ff6d7f30-cc1c-11da-a7bf-0000779e2340.html

[fat_abbott]

As a resident of Middlesbrough where this has been "successfully trialled" I can confidently state that the Town Centre is still full of arseholes.

[kidsick5000]

I imagine the other use would be

"Hey Baby. How you doing..?"

[Uncle TechTip]

5-10 years later, the RFID chip in your ID card will be connected to the CCTV, microphones and body scanning cameras in every street and public place for total 24/7 surveillance and monitoring without any human intervention been needed.

Cool, if nobody's watching then you really do have nothing to worry about.

RFID only works at fairly short distances, unless you can aim a rather precise aerial at a non-moving target. You'd need an impossibly complex network of readers to track everybody. Also, it's easily fooled by lining your wallet in tinfoil.

CCTV in every street is something of a pipe dream too, you know how big this country is?

I hear that some cities already have this 24/7 surveillance that you talk about, they call it 'the police'. Except they are a finite resource.

[mothman]

A finite resource? Not on planety biggytitbo!

What's wrong with discreet patrols, who can have a quiet word with someone making a nuisance of themselves?

Is this a call for more police on the streets?

[biggytitbo]

5-10 years later, the RFID chip in your ID card will be connected to the CCTV, microphones and body scanning cameras in every street and public place for total 24/7 surveillance and monitoring without any human intervention been needed.

Cool, if nobody's watching then you really do have nothing to worry about.

RFID only works at fairly short distances, unless you can aim a rather precise aerial at a non-moving target. You'd need an impossibly complex network of readers to track everybody. Also, it's easily fooled by lining your wallet in tinfoil.

CCTV in every street is something of a pipe dream too, you know how big this country is?

I hear that some cities already have this 24/7 surveillance that you talk about, they call it 'the police'. Except they are a finite resource.

I completely agree with you. It's not stopping them bringing this absolute bollocks in though is it? All those things I mentioned are already been used, and more is to come. There is no limit to the idiotic schemes this government can dream up to control us. They have a completely ludicrous faith in half baked technology to solve every problem in society.

* DId you read labours recent 'blue sky thinking' crime review? http://rhetoricallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2007/03/home-office-policy-review-blue-sky-or.html