They're watching you..
In the novel 1984, which was published in 1949, British author George Orwell wrote about a time in the future when it is impossible to hide from surveillance by the government. In the novel, people are always reminded that the government can see them by the phrase, 'Big Brother is watching you'.
The world that Orwell predicted is already here. Video systems that watch people are now used in many cities around the world. In Paris, France, for example, there are road cameras nearly everywhere to help control traffic and approximately 2,000 cameras on city buses to prevent crime. In Britain, there are cameras that watch streets and parks, public transport, stadiums and shopping areas, With nearly five million cameras - one camera for every 14 people - Britain has more surveillance cameras than anywhere else in Europe.
So who's watching? The police, certainly. There is nothing a criminal can say when the crime he has committed has been caught on video. For example, in 2009, 95 percent of Scotland Yard murder cases used video surveillance as evidence. But even when criminals are not actually caught on video, just seeing a video camera can make an area safer. For this reason, some peop put up signs that say 'Video Surveillance Is In Operation' even where there are no video cameras.
Video surveillance has also been used to save lives. One day in France, 18-year-old Jean-Frangois LeRoy was swimming in a public swimming pool. While he was under water, he lost consciousness. The lifeguards who were watching the pool didn't realise what was happening. LeRoy sank slowly and quietly to the bottom of the pool. Without help, he would have died in four minutes.
Although no lifeguard saw LeRoy drowning, 12 large machine eyes under the water noticed it. Nine months earlier, a surveillance system called Poseidon had been put in the pool. Poseidon can understand when swimmers are not moving normally, and it sets off an alarm for the lifeguards. Just 16 seconds after Poseidon noticed that LeRoy was sinking, the lifeguards pulled him from the pool. Poseidon had saved his life.
Although it is useful for fighting crime, many people are still concerned atbout public surveillance. Norman Siegel an American lawyer, says that there has been a huge increase in video cameras in public places, but there hasn't been a lot of discussion about the advantages and disadvantages. He believes that people should vote to show if they agree or disagree with public surveillance.
Whether you agree with it or not, the fact is that we live in a world where we are surrounded by surveillance.
