Big Brother is watching – and it could be a good thing

Story link: Big Brother is watching – and it could be a good thing by Brian Turner

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) is being used all over the UK to help deter crime. Through out the region, there are probably around 4 million cameras watching what goes on. That’s about one camera for every 14 people.

The CCTV has many benefits. It is used to ticket speeders and others who violate traffic laws. This frees up the police to do more valuable work.

CCTV is used to monitor stores and shopping centers. This allows owners to cut down on shoplifting which helps keep prices down for everyone else.

Now, CCTV is proving valuable in solving missing person cases. Just recently, officials released pictures of a missing person taken by CCTV on the subway. The pictures gave a clear view of what the person had been wearing before she went missing. This information could potential spark the memory of a witness, or even guide the police on their search.

Although CCTV has its up sides, there are down sides as well. With so many cameras aimed at people all through their day, there is bound to be some pictures taken that no one wants seen. For this very reason, the government enacted the Data Protection Act in 1998. It restricts the use of CCTV recording – hopefully putting some people more at ease.

There is an upgrade on the way. CC Digital Photography, which began showing up in October of 2005, gives a cleaner image than the current CCTV. The pictures are still, but will most likely be more valuable to places that don’t rely on live feed video.