Too many surveillance cameras, not enough security

Civil libertarians are celebrating Amazon's recent announcement that law enforcement will no longer be able to obtain video from Ring doorbell cameras simply by requesting it. The company will now require subpoenas or search warrants.

That's great news. Someone who agrees that the government should jump through a hoop or two before seizing images that people reasonably believe to be private doesn't have to be anti-police (I never am). isn't it). But we're only dealing with the tip of the proverbial iceberg here.

Video surveillance has become part of everyday life. Doorbell cameras are just one part of so-called “security banality.” This measure quickly becomes part of everyday life and hardly gets noticed. If we step outside the house, we can be recorded.

Perhaps the rise of video overwatch is making us safer. And it probably does in some places, like the White House and airports. But are ubiquitous cameras really contributing to our overall security? If not, we will be sacrificing our precious right to continue living without having our every step tracked. .

This data is unconvincing at best.

Let's start with the doorbell video. To be sure, there are some areas where residents say Ring and similar technology have made them safer. In some cases, footage from doorbell cameras has become important evidence. But overall, the available data does not support the claim that having Ring Video available to law enforcement agencies reduces crime. (Meanwhile, a 2022 study of footage posted by users in Los Angeles suggests that decisions about when to label recorded behavior as suspicious are often influenced by the stranger's race. )

Are other security cameras more effective? Let's consider some examples.

We are all familiar with the devices installed above intersections to take pictures of cars running red lights. Apart from the frequently raised questions about accuracy, there is debate as to how much they can reduce accidents. While it's true that cameras have helped reduce right-angle collisions (one car hitting the other), rear-end collisions are also on the rise, perhaps because more people are hitting the brakes. is. (And we've known this for a long time.) At the very least, the cost-benefit analysis is complex.

What about the growing network of security cameras that monitor public parks, streets, etc.? Criminals are generally more successful in police procedurals than they are in real life because criminals generally don't take them seriously. It seems like it is. In the words of criminologist Eric Pizza, “While the public (and even some 'experts') may think that the presence of prominent cameras is enough to convey heightened risk, It may be difficult to actually create a causal mechanism. ” According to data from Piza, actively monitored video systems have a small effect on reducing crime. There is nothing in a system that is passively monitored. But until AI brings Orwell's “telescreen” to life, no government on earth has the resources to monitor every camera in real time.

Or consider shopping. Most retail stores now have cameras, but industry insiders say they believe security guards are far more important in deterring shoplifting. In stores as well as on the streets, cameras appear to be effective in reducing crime only if they are constantly monitored. Indeed, technology that has come to be known as “human activity recognition” allows AI to monitor cameras, predict which shoppers are likely to be lifters based on people's behavior in the store, and alert security guards to may be able to tell you where to go. But it's another road I'm nervous to travel.

I'm not anti-technology. I'm a privacy advocate. And I come from a generation that was taught that privacy wasn't just about what people did behind closed doors. We all understand that we leave digital traces as we move through the cyber world. It's alarming, to say the least, that we leave so many digital traces behind as we go about our daily lives, minding our own business.

Maybe my views on privacy are outdated. After all, we live in a time when three out of ten young people support the installation of surveillance cameras in private houses. This year marks his 75th anniversary since the publication of his novel 1984, but perhaps always-on TV screens may be much closer than we think.

So let's celebrate Amazon's decision to make doorbell video a little harder for governments to obtain. But when it comes to the rest of the mundane parts of security, let's keep in mind that we are giving up an awful lot of privacy for dubious safety gains.

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