[germainebull]

Most streets of my city are installed with cameras that capture the images of traffic, particularly vehicular traffic. These cameras sent the captured images to a command center manned by police officers.

Several months ago, a prominent businessman was tracked by highly placed government operatives and assassinated. This murder aroused debate about the safety of citizens on the streets, given the high levels of corruption in my country.

What is your opinion? Do street cameras cause you to feel insecure? Do you think that the data captured by these cameras is prone to abuse?

[chikitta]

Street cameras have their pros and cons, they could be a good idea to keep careless drivers off the road, I don't think it would make you insecure.

[darrensurrey]

A one-off event? I wouldn't worry about it.

[germainebull]

Street cameras have their pros and cons, they could be a good idea to keep careless drivers off the road, I don't think it would make you insecure.

I guess that, for your opinion to be valid, we need to be operating in an environment devoid of dirty schemes by governmental agencies. Otherwise, street camera systems can be used by rogue government officers to monitor the movement of motorists who are considered 'undesirable' for nefarious reasons.

[niche]

In india, especially panaji, goa in addition to CCTV cameras, aerial surveillance and mobile tracking is a great threat to the health and safety of harmless indian citizens, especially if they have powerful enemies. Microwave radiation is used extensively to torture harmless indian citizens causing great pain, memory loss and other problems, the officials who have caused the criminal assault cannot be identified or held accountable for their human rights abuses.
Like your country, in India also senior government officials are acting as contract killers for large corporates especially in the tech sector, and slowly murdering competitors of these companies.
Unlike your country, the indian media refuses to cover any news of the daily atrocities of the cruel criminal government officials and these officials continue to freelance as contract killers for large corporates, greedy fraud relatives, misusing the expensive government equipment purchased with tax payer money to torture and murder harmless citizens.
There is no public debate or discussion of the cruel criminal government officials torturing harmless civilians with hitech expensive weapons to cause great pain, especially in panaji, goa

[germainebull]

A one-off event? I wouldn't worry about it.

I understand that your comment is informed by the fact that you are in the US, a famous beacon of civil liberties. The situation is not however the same the world over. In certain countries, rogue governments can assassinate persons for the most flimsy of reasons. For example, highlighting government corruption can earn one a ticket to the grave.

[Angie10]

I think no matter what the situation, it's better to have street lights than none at all. If I were the sort of person who likes to hang out at night, I'd certainly prefer to have street lights wherever I go. But as my country becomes more developed, the rate at which crime is escalating has also soared. So I avoid at all costs walking around after dark, street lights or no street lights.

[Saru]

Like Andie, I alos think that it is important that streets be fixed with CCTV cameras. We have to remember the fact that social security is becoming a major issue in all parts of the world, no matter what type of citizen you are. There are terrorism, theft and road accidents that approximately adds up to 50% or mortality and 61% or morbidity all over the world.

[grecy0905]

For me, there is always a good and a bad side to this one. The CCTV is there to double check everything that had happened anywhere and some are taking advantage to use it differently. I feel insecure if I get track down and on the thought that crime doesn't stop even if there is a CCTV makes me get scared more.

[germainebull]

For me, there is always a good and a bad side to this one. The CCTV is there to double check everything that had happened anywhere and some are taking advantage to use it differently. I feel insecure if I get track down and on the thought that crime doesn't stop even if there is a CCTV makes me get scared more.

You are right. I guess no one would be comfortable knowing that government operatives are constantly tracking him/her whenever he/she is on the road. This is especially so if one lives in a country governed by rogue leaders.

[niche]

Most people who are living in countries which are well governed and have honest leaders do not realize the problems that technology like CCTV can create for harmless citizens in countries where corruption, nepotism levels are very high

[skysnap]

Well some of the cases in US and canada have shown how the CCTV footage can be leaked on youtube. So people need to understand that things can be that bad.

[jampabhai]

yes you are right but it is sometimes necessary also.

[suny]

I wish we had more working cameras on the streets in my part of the world. We need them more than ever before because we are facing a surge in crime and probably these cameras could help trap some of the culprits.

[fistsworn]

Glad that you specified that in your country is due to corruption issues, though no in my country these are actually hard to hack, people hard to corrupt and manny manny times they acctually helped either to catch criminals or prevent a crime. But Previously I had lived in a country with corruption issues and I agree that that is the main problem, you pay you get OG passport and that is not good since you can see how: Criminals, Terrorists etc can abuse this...

[germainebull]

I wish we had more working cameras on the streets in my part of the world. We need them more than ever before because we are facing a surge in crime and probably these cameras could help trap some of the culprits.

I hope that your administration will see the need of street cameras and do the necessary.

It is true, criminals can be a real pain in the neck at times. It'd thus help to track these outlaws using street cameras.

[TeacherAngel]

Just like any other forms and products of technology, it has its advantages and disadvantages and the disadvantages show when its use is abused. Here in the Philippines, I believe that it is very important for security and it has been used for evidence. I just hope that barangays would have someone monitoring these cameras so it would be used for prevention and not as evidence only.

[germainebull]

Just like any other forms and products of technology, it has its advantages and disadvantages and the disadvantages show when its use is abused.

Unfortunately, you usually find that technology is mostly abused, especially in countries with rogue/illegitimate/corrupt regimes. It is a real 'cancer'.

[TeacherAngel]

I have to agree. And, sadly, it is those who are not up-to-date with such technologies who fall victim to such instances of technology abuse.

[germainebull]

Previously I had lived in a country with corruption issues and I agree that that is the main problem, you pay you get OG passport and that is not good since you can see how: Criminals, Terrorists etc can abuse this...

You are right.

Corruption has rendered certain government services redundant or even dangerous. Take the example of an immigration official who used to sell passports to anyone with money in my country. Thanks to this officer's greed, terrorists managed to acquire passports.