The London Riots caused so much havoc that they continue to spook British officials. So much so that they’re thinking of implementing so-called “Smart CCTV” that can track potential subjects and their behaviour. Cue the requisite 1984/V for Vendetta comparisons.
The way it works is it can recognise certain behaviour and pinpoint where it originates. Called “trigger events”, it can be something like a person breaking into a shopfront window or brandishing a pistol in public. Based on how people react — running towards or away from the action — the system can pick it up and the authorities can respond.
Surveillance technology like this sounds cool, but you can understand how it can make people nervous about how it can undermine their privacy. The system allows for video feeds to be combined across CCTVs, locked onto a specific “event”, while all extraneous details would be detailed. But its still up to the authorities to determine what kind of event warrants a response. And that can get muddy really quick. [BBC]
Image: yuyangc/Shutterstock