Do you live in one of the world's most-surveilled cities?
Security is a big topic for people in many shapes and sizes, whether it be personal or professional or government-based (or something else entirely). From cameras to monitoring to security guards and everything in between, different countries deal with the security of their citizens and visitors in different ways.
But have you ever considered how heavily survielled some cities are?
Media attention has only increased in relation to security and surveillance, with topics such as face recognition software and CCTV capabilities splashed across news headlines on a regular basis. And, with technology only getting smarter, easier to access and cheaper to purchase, the abilities of security systems are only getting more impressive. And a lot of cities are getting on board, which has resulted in more of a public CCTV presence.
According to Comparitech, cities in the following countries are under the most surveillance:
- China
- USA
- India
- United Kingdom
- United Arab Emirates
But, did you know that Australia is on that list too? Both Sydney and Canberra are in the top 50 most-surveilled cities in the world, with 12.35 CCTV cameras per 1,000 people and 5.46 CCTV cameras per 1,000 people respectively. Although this may sound quite high, some cities in China have upwards of 159 CCTV per 1,000 people or more, so it's actually not that high in the whole scheme of things.
Some people view living in a highly-surveilled as a positive, as they feel it improves law enforcement and assists in crime prevention. Other people however can take a negative view, suggesting it is an invasion of privacy and stops free movement. For reference, studies indicate that there is very little correlation between the number of public CCTV cameras and crime or safety, which is an interesting addition to the discussion.
So, what are your thoughts on public CCTV cameras? Do you agree with their increased addition to cities? Or do you think it is an invasion of privacy? Also, do you live in Sydney or Canberra? How do you feel being in the top 50 survielled cities in the world?
Resources:
Comparitech (The world's most surveilled cities): https://www.comparitech.com/vpn-privacy/the-worlds-most-surveilled-cities/