Big Brother Britain, 2004

[furtherfield]

Big Brother Britain, 2004
Four million CCTV cameras watch public. UK has the highest level of
surveillance
By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent
12 January 2004


More than four million surveillance cameras monitor our every move, making
Britain the most-watched nation in the world, research has revealed.

The number of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras has quadrupled in the
past three years, and there is now one for every 14 people in the UK. The
increase is happening at twice the predicted rate, and it is believed that
Britain accounts for one-fifth of all CCTV cameras worldwide. Estimates
suggest that residents of a city such as London can each expect to be
captured on CCTV cameras up to 300 times a day, and much of the filming
breaches existing data guidelines.

Civil liberties groups complain that the rules governing the use of the
cameras in Britain are the most lax in the world. They say that, in contrast
to other countries, members of the public are often unaware they are being
filmed, and are usually ignorant of the relevant regulations. They also
argue that there is little evidence to support the contention that CCTV
cameras lead to a reduction in crime rates.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=480364