Three interesting things I read this morning had to do with CCTV cameras. I remember when I was in England taking classes for awhile I got into a big argument with my professor about the security cameras. It was at a final banquet at the end of the semester and between points he insulted me with suitably quaint Britishisms. A good time all around, and I really enjoyed his class.
But CCTV cameras, I’m generally against them!
Weaponizing Mozart - Reason.com has this story about the rise in teenagerism in Britain, and how local councils are trying to control it. The biggest problems seem to be loitering and graffiti. At least they’re not sexting like our teens.
Britain might not make steel anymore, or cars, or pop music worth listening to, but, boy, are we world-beaters when it comes to tyranny. And now classical music, which was once taught to young people as a way of elevating their minds and tingling their souls, is being mined for its potential as a deterrent against bad behavior.
A Mossad Operation Gone Awry? - Der Spiegel’s long report on the killing in Dubai is a good overview of what’s going on. I feel like this story hasn’t gotten as much play in the US, and I was pretty shady as to what actually happened.
Spy cameras won’t make us safer - This CNN op-ed is a good argument against the widespread use of security cameras. It makes a point a lot like the Weaponizing Mozart link: that the use of these cameras is an effort to solve a problem from afar, without actually going out there and doing anything about it.
The important question isn’t whether cameras solve past crime or deter future crime; it’s whether they’re a good use of resources. They’re expensive, both in money and in their Orwellian effects on privacy and civil liberties. Their inevitable misuse is another cost. … Though we might be willing to accept these downsides for a real increase in security, cameras don’t provide that.
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