Big Brother Is Watching ... And Listening ... And Talking

Posted by: Nate Berg

1 May 2007 - 11:00am

Citing the popularity and success of closed-circuit television cameras that have been installed in many public places for crime-fighting purposes, politicians in the UK are considering attaching microphones and even loudspeakers to these cameras.

"But Information Commissioner Richard Thomas said Home Office research had indicated there were 'still doubts as to the efficacy' of CCTV, both in terms of preventing and detecting crime."

"Both argued people should know where CCTV cameras were - possibly by way of a website map - and expressed alarm about the potential for tiny cameras to be 'buried' in lampposts."

"But the committee pointed out that CCTV was very popular with the public, which often called for its installation."

"There are up to 4.2m CCTV cameras in Britain - about one for every 14 people - and the UK also holds 3.6 million DNA samples, which is the world's biggest database."

Full Story: Warning over 'talking CCTV' plans

Source: BBC, May 1, 2007