Is the UK sleep-walking into a surveillance society? Duh.

If you're a regular reader of Engadget then you don't have to live in the UK to know that they loves 'em some surveillance technology. Last year, their Information Commissioner warned that the UK was running the risk of "sleep-walking into a surveillance society." Today, Jack Straw announced that the Commons' Home Affairs committee would be launching an inquiry into the growing use of surveillance. From the kingdom which gave us George Orwell and CCTV cameras with mics, speakers, and the intelligence to detect violent behavior and see through clothes, we're wondering if the move is already a tad too late. Of course, here in the US we shoot each other for game consoles so pick your poison.

[Adam @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:50AM]

yep, it's 1985

[JoshLowry @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:08AM]

It's good that they are at least launching an inquiry, but I'm not sure how much good that will do.

It seems like everyday here in the US I notice a new camera perched high atop an intersection. These are seperate from the red light cameras, but that is a whole different story.


- Josh

Where's your head at? - http://www.StateOfBrain.com

[PDubNYC @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:17PM]

@JoshLowry
those are called traffic cams. you know, the way they monitor traffic flows, and update how your commute will be.
There are plenty of reasons out there to be paranoid, no need to make them up

[OBM @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:12AM]

It's funny how England are so shocked when someone gets shot or something, but it's been happening in N. Ireland for ages and they never care. But...now were all peaceful(ish) and getting our own government, yay!

[AdvWar @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:51PM]

Wow someone else from Northern Ireland! Its a small Internet.....

However, things do look to be getting better for our country.

[OBM @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:51PM]

lol don't say that, people already think NI is small. My friends Canadian cousin came over last year and thought he could go to cork and back to NI in like an hour or 2 lol

[Tim @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:15AM]

There are so many in London. I'd like to torch a few (hundred) of the speed cams. The comments I've just made are probably being monitored somehow.

F-off Big Bro.

[Xavier Gill @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:32AM]

Love that Banksy painting, see more here http://www.artofthestate.co.uk/Banksy/Banksy_crude_oils_photos_001.htm

[Argysh @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:56PM]

I NEED this painting in high ress, anybody knows where to get it? :)

[marcozna @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:27PM]

Hey you need to check out dolk as well...
http://marcozna.wordpress.com/2007/03/11/more-and-more-dolk-and-more-again/

PS: Don't they know anything about privacy in the UK? I thought they were the real touchy ones on that... hm

[KC @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:41AM]

I'll take the relatively remote (even more remote since I am in Canada) chance of getting shot then the day to day risks of being arrested because a CCTV camera misinterpreted something or other about the way I was walking, misread my facial features, mistakenly thought it saw something concealed in my clothes, or I was just in a hurry and j-walked etc....

I'll take the remote risk of violence over the day to day anxiety that some one some where is watching and criticizing my every action and gesture and if any of them are deemed inappropriate get hauled in to jail and forced at my expense to prove the CCTV camera is stupider then the guy who programed it.

[Tom @ Mar 24th 2007 12:59AM]

guy, don't think canada's immune to this. there's cameras all over the place already, at least in Toronto.

[ajgalli @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:03PM]

Just the U.K.?

[JL @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:27PM]

"Just the U.K.?"

Thinking the same thing AJ and to those here in the US that don't give a 2nd
thought to traffic cams etc, just think about this - They get you used to the idea of cameras monitoring traffic and then what's next? Cameras on your street on a lightpost.. Oh yea, that's all good too and then when those cameras start peeking into your house/apt... Go ahead, say it's paranoid but when you give the gov't a foot, they take a mile (as evidenced recently by the FBI's abuse of those NSL's (National Security Letters)) So - don't be so naive to think that it's only happening in the U.K. and could never happen here.

[cloneofsnake @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:25PM]

If the UK's CCTV is so good, then why do they still have to prohibit the sale of fake Samurai swords? :D

[Nicholas Paredes @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:38PM]

Remember Tripods?

[Bruno @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:47PM]

Remember, remember, the 5th of November...

[Craig Kroeze @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:05PM]

V for Vendetta anyone?

[Tom Spanton @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:09PM]

There is always a balance between individual rights and group rights. This balance shifts as threats or perceived threats increase or decrease. To completely leave ourselves open to security risks would be as foolish as sacrificing all freedoms for security. But there does have to be a balance. For me I lean to the philosophy that it is better to be safe than sorry.
Tom http://homebasedbusinessfuture.com/

[Chris @ Mar 22nd 2007 4:08PM]

Paths to evil are always paved with good intentions. I've long believed that it is not the politicians we need to fear - its the faceless growing civil service empires that want to take over, review, legislate and regulate more and more and more.

I prefer the old way of doing things - wait for someone to actually commit a crime before you can arrest them.

[David Fox @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:39PM]

A David Brin article from August 2004....

http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2004/08/04/mortal_gods/index.html

[andy @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:40PM]

I don't have a problem with TIVO style surveilance cams. They help catch a lot of criminals (we know they're criminals and who they are because they were caught on camera). Without them, we'd miss a lot of that.


I think speed cams are without merit; pure money makers. Red light cameras probably make people respect lights which is sometimes a problem.


Now intelligent cameras that try to find some 16 y/o kid who may have pot in his jacket, that's way overkill.

Cameras should observe and memorialize, not analyze.

[ssuk @ Mar 22nd 2007 1:43PM]

Wow, there was a big media frenzy about this... 5 months ago in the UK... This is older than old news to anyone who reads BBC news requently.

[Jeff @ Mar 22nd 2007 2:17PM]

Hey now, shooting each other and fighting over toys is a proud American tradition.

[ADR @ Mar 22nd 2007 2:38PM]

So I'm the only one who couldn't care less about all the cameras in the UK?

I seriously think their operators have something better to do than CCTV-stalk me...

[lupinstel @ Mar 22nd 2007 2:41PM]

You can see this picture in Banksys' book "Wall and Piece". http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Piece-Banksy/dp/1844137872/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8343911-4273542?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174588789&sr=8-1

[Harry Wagstaff @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:18PM]

To be honest, I'm more concerned about the UK political situation of 'being tough on crime' which has caused nothing but problems. Sure, crime's bad, but every single jail in the country is packed to bursting and every gun control law passed has failed miserably and often caused an increase in gun crime due to 'illegal' guns finding their way into the hands of drug dealers and gangs.
Now the government is mulling over banning what are effectively toys with the VCR bill. The government has instilled a total, crushing fear of crime into the population and it's a downward spiral.

[Mike @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:24PM]

Isn't it ironic that those camera fail to stop riots at soccer matches? ;)

[Maff @ Mar 23rd 2007 8:37AM]

"Isn't it ironic that those camera fail to stop riots at soccer matches? ;)"
I think you'll find that most "riots" take place outside the ground and away from CCTV, and you'll find that there's very few these days thanks to the intelligence within the police forces

and it's Football, not Soccer

[Mike @ Mar 22nd 2007 3:24PM]

Big Brother, where art thou?

[Arno @ Mar 22nd 2007 4:26PM]

Banksy is awesome :)

[Adam @ Mar 22nd 2007 6:20PM]

"Remember remember the fifth of November." V from V for Vendetta. Pick it up or (oh no not that!) download it. It's worth purchasing though.

[marcozna @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:28PM]

Agreed - it's running slightly out of control. Can't believe you got a Banksy art on this one. Way to go!
Now down this line we have Dolk who's a stencil artist that Thomas would probably like... check it out:
http://marcozna.wordpress.com/2007/03/11/more-and-more-dolk-and-more-again/

[CB @ Mar 23rd 2007 7:08AM]

We are witnessing the slow eroding of the human condition into a set of variables to be monitored by a controlling program, they are automating everything, I recieved an automatic fine for failing to tell the authorities I still had my car off the road, which is actually a fine for not telling them I wasn't breaking the law..that is now.
Just imagine what is to come, cars that monitor their exact position, door openings, ID of passengers, intoxication level of passengers, conversation..sounds ridiculous?
All very do-able even now, and all very desirable to the government and will be slowly introduced, each step being just as reasonable as the last.
And that's just the government, we will see massive spying by individuals on each other.

The problem of course is that most people can't handle the truth.

[Cranky Media Guy @ Mar 25th 2007 7:20AM]

"For me I lean to the philosophy that it is better to be safe than sorry."

Why do you make the automatic assumption that cameras will protect you from ANYTHING?

When I was young (I'm 55 now), I was taught that the Soviet Union was Evil with a capital "E" because it spied on its citizens and didn't trust them. Why was that BAD for THEM to do but GOOD for US to do?

EVERY government uses "protecting the citizens" as the excuse for more intrusive government. We spent trillions of dollars opposing the Soviet Union because it treated its citizens like criminals; why are we going down the same stupid path?

[Bob Smith @ Mar 25th 2007 6:14PM]

Guns were only outlawed in the UK, not to save lives, but to prevent frustrated motorists from shooting the surveillance cameras...

Like that worked: http://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm

[Bob Smith @ Apr 30th 2007 2:15PM]

Guns were only outlawed in the UK, not to save lives, but to prevent frustrated motorists from shooting the surveillance cameras...

Like that worked: http://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm

[Muslickz @ Dec 7th 2008 6:05PM]

"Guns were only outlawed in the UK, not to save lives, but to prevent frustrated motorists from shooting the surveillance cameras..."

Now that's funny. Here in the USA guns are legal and thousand of road signs suffer and die each day due to them :)

Blu Who? : Http://www.blubeanz.com