Privacy Issues with Smart Cameras
I thought I would highlight two interesting articles on privacy with smart cameras.
The first comes from Reason and is titled Is Privacy Overrated?
Its key insight is the gains that come from a transparent society ala Brin.
My credit card company has long known where I buy underwear, but I don’t lay awake nights worried that prosecutors might demand knowledge of my preferences in skivvies. The ways in which that information can be accessed by the state are circumscribed by decades of legal precedent. We should remain vigilant that those precedents aren’t eroded, and we should work to strengthen protections where necessary, but the collection of the information in itself is an unstoppable force, mostly for good–I like that I can sift thorough records ofeverything I have purchased in the last three years.
As this hints at, the article still notes that abuse of cameras by public officials is a reasonable fear and one that should be punished.
The second is by Bruce Schneier, the renowned security expert. He wrote an op ed for the Arizona Star. In the article, which discusses the use of ANPR, he points out how “technology is fundamentally changing the nature of surveillance.” He uses the term “wholesale surveillance.” He argues this switch is not a mater of degree, but fundamentally different than our previous notions of surveillance and privacy. He argues:
Wholesale surveillance is fast becoming the norm. Automatic toll-collection systems record when individual cars pass through toll booths. We can all be tracked by our cell phones. Our purchases are tracked by banks and credit-card companies, our telephone calls by phone companies, our Internet surfing habits by Web site operators.
The effects of wholesale surveillance on privacy and civil liberties are profound; but, unfortunately, the debate often gets mischaracterized as a question about how much privacy we need to give up in order to be secure. This is wrong. It’s obvious that we are all safer when the police can use all techniques at their disposal. What we need are corresponding mechanisms to prevent abuse and that don’t place an unreasonable burden on the innocent.
As a practical example, he suggests that ANPR systems should erase the data on innocent car owners and not save it. Furthermore, he argues that with automatic detection, think red-light cameras, we need to realign the detection and enforcement actions. He suggests removing criminal penalties for both red-light cameras and speed-trap cameras. Instead, the the cameras should issue citations without any “points” assessed against the driver.
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