Thursday, April 05, 2007

Noise polluting CCTV cameras

John Reid's latest nutty mythical magical tech-fix idea is noise polluting CCTV surveillance.

""Talking" CCTV cameras that tell off people dropping litter or committing anti-social behaviour are to be extended to 20 areas across England.

They are already used in Middlesbrough where people seen misbehaving can be told to stop via a loudspeaker, controlled by control centre staff.

About £500,000 will be spent adding speaker facilities to existing cameras."

Spyblog nicely dissects the notion.

"Overall, this scheme looks to be a NuLabour "Must Be Seen To Be Doing Something" about anti-social behaviour, ahead of the forthcoming Local Elections., with obvious appeal to the authoritarian mentality of the ex-Communist Home Secretary John Reid.

At best it will simply be a further waste of public money, at worst, it will cause genuine alarm and a noise pollution nuisance to nearby residents and businesses i.e. an increase in anti-social behaviour."

as does William Heath

"Wibbi: - we installed CCTV cameras in the Commons with kids ticking off MPs for posturing, passing laws without thinking of the effects on people when they’re implemented, and wasting public money.

I wonder what these are going to be like? What outlet do you have if you find them extremely annoying? Can you “game” them by doing fake transgressions? "

No comments: