There is currently a huge debate going on concerning the constant advance of surveillance technogy.
Surveillance or CCTV is said to be used to protect our cities and our societies but mainly people think it is encroaching on our lives and destroying our privacy. It can also be seen to be trying to change our behaviour with its presence.
The concept of surveillance technology originated frim M. Foulcault's idea of Jeremy Bentham's 'Panopticon', as a symbol of changing technologies' of surveillance and discipline.
Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon was designed to be a self regulating prison integrated with social descipline. The Panopticon was a circular designed building composed of a ring of cells to house the inmates. The control of the wardens was maintained by the constant assumption that the prisoners were always being watched.
Benthams plans for social reform used his technology of architecture to change the prison inmates, he predicted they would gradually become self-disciplined by the endless threat of being watched. I suppose the police have kind of adopted this process by placing CCTV through out cities.
Benthams' prison was never built but his concept is seen in the work of Foulcault and of course in the development of security surveillance today.
Surveillance can be used for two main reasons:-
1. For the collection of information regarding a specific identity.
2. For the exertion of power over an individual by the authorities use of surveillance in public spaces.
The use of modern surveillance systems or 'CCTV' in public spaces now raises the issue of social control and invasion of privacy. On an average we pass 300 surveillance cameras a day, especially in public spaces. Every transaction or interaction we make with other people or other technological devices are used to locate our position. Devices lke mobile phones and cash points are used to record not only our location but our everyday interactions and spending habits.
We are all being monitored to an unprcedented degree and most of us are not even aware of it happening.
It is also apparent that the mere presence of surveillance changes what we are and how we behave, this is because of the 'Big Brother is watching you' kind of messge being delivered by the government. I think this concept revolves around the idea of power and how the surveyor has power over the surveyed. This can be seen as a positive factor of surveillance as the cameras help some individuals feel safe. However a new concept of 'Big Brother' is evolving which is takeing surveillance to a whole new level. People are wanting to be watched 24 hours a day purely to entertain our society. I think this will change the younger generations notions of our rights to privacy.
When it comes to surveillance there will always be apparent issues focusing on our rights to privacy. However what will happen when surveillance advances beyond the point of control. There becomes a point when we cannot protect our personal lives and the data surveillance records and collects. We are even being recorded and watched at work to make sure we are doing our jobs properly. The only place we can take advantage of our rights to privacy is in our own homes, but how long before that is taken from us?
