Surveillance. A question for you.

chic

chic

SF VIP
Location
U.S.
Does being almost constantly videotaped make you feel any safer? Or does it just make you feel WATCHED? It makes me nervous not safe. I feel like where can I go to experience some real solitude. I feel like I'm in an episode of Colditz trying to escape. :oops:
 

I spent my entire working life for the 1990's under surveillance, at a casino. Again in my current work we have significant CCTV coverage so I'm used to it.
Does it make me feel safer? Not at all, it just provides evidence.
A couple of years ago some clowns attempted to steal my motorcycle from outside my work at a city site. CCTV spotted them and they got arrested and locked up. One got 4 months jail time, after being remanded in custody for 7 months. 🤣😂
 
After hearing stories about computers, smart tvs and phones, not to mention things like Alexa, sometimes I don't feel like there is privacy in my own home. That bothers me.

However, outside of my home I think they serve a purpose including deterrence.
 
I don't mind all the cameras that are everywhere now. It's not like someone is sitting there peeking at everything I'm doing... it would be used after something would happen in the area.

The only time it *did* bother me was when store surveillance was getting popular in the late 70s. There was a guy I went to school with who was manning the cams for the security department to watch for shoplifters... and he always told me "saw you were shopping, Katie, and that was a nice shirt you bought...." It was creepy and even creepier now thinking back than it was then. His dad was the district attorney... he should have known better!
 
As long as I am private at home, I don't care. Best thing is just assume you are being watched out there, mainly for our own safety. At shops or in public spaces.

Not much we can do about it anyway.
However, I have disabled any way my phone or laptop could ever watch or listen to me. Privacy in domestic abodes is vital - ensure that that is so.
 
CallMeKate said:
I don't mind all the cameras that are everywhere now. It's not like someone is sitting there peeking at everything I'm doing... it would be used after something would happen in the area.

The only time it *did* bother me was when store surveillance was getting popular in the late 70s. There was a guy I went to school with who was manning the cams for the security department to watch for shoplifters... and he always told me "saw you were shopping, Katie, and that was a nice shirt you bought...." It was creepy and even creepier now thinking back than it was then. His dad was the district attorney... he should have known better!
Click to expand...
Yes creepy. Not a nice thought.
 
DebraMae said:
After hearing stories about computers, smart tvs and phones, not to mention things like Alexa, sometimes I don't feel like there is privacy in my own home. That bothers me.

However, outside of my home I think they serve a purpose including deterrence.
Click to expand...
Do an assessment at home, nothing electronic should be invading your privacy.
 
I have been under constant police surveillance for 55 years for no justifiable reason. So to me, any surveillance policy changes in reference to the rest of the USA population would make no difference.
 
Ideally life would be as when we seniors grew up where in most regions, one could trust most others without any need for video surveillance. Today, the USA demographic in many urban regions like here in California, is very very different than the 70s, 80s, 90s. Large numbers of those from other states and foreign immigrants with different cultures, both legal and illegal, have replaced and added to what was. Many are fine people but significant numbers and some of their disadvantaged gang oriented offspring are not. Large numbers of middle class Americans that used to live here moved out, unable to afford the high cost of living.

Politicians of both parties, puppets of Wall Street corporations, have allowed myriad foreigners with different cultures and values in, while their global economic agendas have greatly widened wealth gaps creating many homeless and poor desperate persons that survive by taking from others. Here in the SFBA, commercial security cameras, and ALPR cameras have become necessary to reduce crime. For several years, rights groups like Libertarians and the ACLU prevented and slowed implementations, however they have lost due to proven effectiveness of surveillance and acceptable oversight. Further, many residential homeowners have added video surveillance to exteriors.
 
Last edited:
Stores use video monitoring for a lot of reasons. It’s not always the customers they are watching. Sometimes, it’s the employees stealing out of the till or taking merchandise, outside vendors bringing merchandise into or taking merchandise out of the store, customer disputes whether returning merchandise or giving change and vandalism. And of course, in case of a hold up.
 
Whenever I feel aware of the security cameras they bother me because I don't like people looking at me, I absolutely hated being in a 'open office' situation with short cubicles so that we could all see each other all the time (tho that isn't a security camera, but felt the same to me).

For many many years now I don't feel comfortable trying on clothes in dressing rooms, or really not even shopping in stores that I feel have high surveillance (clothing stores, Walmart, etc.). It makes me feel very self-conscious.

And I was very relieved to read that airport scanners don't see people's naked bodies anymore.

But in places where I'm not thinking about the cameras they don't bother me, such as intersection traffic cameras only bother me if I'm going through an 'old' yellow light. Cameras outside of stores for sidewalks don't bother me because I'm already feeling like I'm on public display in those areas.

I'm a little mixed on the cameras at our building entrance and elevator areas. It is kind of cool that when someone calls our code to request entrance to the building, we are able to turn on a particular channel on the TV and see the view from the entrance camera to see if they are who we are expecting, but on the flip side, I am not thrilled if someone is watching me having to (sometimes) use two hands to get my key steady enough to put in the slot.

Overall since cameras have helped a lot with crime and people who used to get away with lying about whether they stole something or ran a red light etc, I am more happy with them than not happy. A lot of times I think of them as if I'm living in a small town with all the snoopy neighbors watching.
 
Paco Dennis said:
I live so far from the city, that I don't face any camera's. I do go to a couple stores in town. They probably have footage of me. The Bank would. That don't bother me so bad, but any more than that might get to be a little too much.
Click to expand...
Same here. In terms of government or police usage, rural places are out of the realm. I think in our nearest little laid-back city there are multiple cameras in banks, larger stores, some smaller businesses, industrial sites, scrapyard-transfer, storage facilities, and very occasionally entries to people's homes, but not in the eating spots, local library, theater, parks, and so on, or even along main roads or the streets.
 
David777 said:
Today, the USA demographic in many urban regions like here in California, is very very different than the 70s, 80s, 90s. Large numbers of those from other states and foreign immigrants with different cultures, both legal and illegal, have replaced and added to what was. Many are fine people but significant numbers and some of their disadvantaged gang oriented offspring are not. Large numbers of middle class Americans that used to live here moved out, unable to afford the high cost of living.
Click to expand...
I'm glad the above extract was part of your reply, and specifically this bit: "Many are fine people but significant numbers and some of their disadvantaged gang oriented offspring are not." Canada is also a nation of immigrants (all of us, except for the indigenous peoples). As a general rule, the immigrants who have come in through the 20th century and up to today are fine, responsible people. Most of us remind ourselves of that — though we recognize growth of crimes of certain types, which may be perpetrated by individuals from Canadian families resident here for many generations, or by members of immigrant groups.
 
Public security cameras don't bother me. I mean, somebody could simply look out the building window and see what you're doing, so what's the big deal about a security camera recording what you're doing? And it must act as a deterrent to some people to prevent them from doing something nefarious. If somebody knows they're going to get caught, they're not as likely to steal from you or vandalize your car.

The world is fully of a-holes. I was looking into getting some kind of bodycam so if any salesperson is rude to me or anything like that, I can report them to the manager. Somebody like that is going to be much better behaved if they're being monitored.

If I was still working, I'd set up a security camera in my cubical for proof that certain people are lying sacks of crap. Sometimes I think about the vermin I've had to work with over the years. Jeeze, people can be awful.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top