While Americans fret and debate about roving wiretaps, the ever-lessening privacy, and DNA records taken by the police, Britain is already there - and they don't seem to mind Big Brother!
Here's an article at the LA Times by Kim Murphy about how Close Circuit Television cameras (CCTV) are not only pervasive in central London, they can even command you what to do!
The closed-circuit television camera lurking just down the street from the fast-food restaurant bellows menacingly at the first sign of danger to the flora, or a cast-off cigarette butt or fast-food wrapper, for that matter. "Pick it up," commands a booming voice from . . . where, exactly?
The CCTV cameras in Gloucester and several other British towns now come equipped with speakers, meaning Big Brother is not only watching, he's telling you what to do. [...]
By some estimates, 4.2 million CCTV cameras, or one for every 15 people, quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, monitor the comings and goings of almost everyone -- an average person is caught on camera up to 300 times a day.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/columnone/la-fg-bigbrother19oct19,1,1527232,full.story?coll=la-headlines-columnone&ctrack=2&cset=true
Previously on Neatorama:
» Using Spy Planes to Identify Homes that are Wasting Energy
» Automatic License Plate Recognition
» Bin Brother is Watching You
» Can Big Brother Hear Me Now? (Image: Image: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP)
Believe me, the USA and Britain are pretty much the same in terms of freedom. They have their ups and downs. All this omg-we're-more-free-than-you (which happens on both sides, hell, more often on our side, actually) doesn't particularly help anyone.
Er...hope that proved you wrong? Or something.
I'm sure the actually statistic for how many cameras there are for each person was higher, something like 1 for every 4 people, not that you can really trust any statistic anyway.
-dave p.
That is the single most idiotic thing I have read on this site ever.
Who was asked? Who responded that they "dont mind".
This is a propaganda piece plain and simple.
I guess "minding" the constant surveliance is a thought crime.