CCTVs are a tool against terrorists, but they also affect ordinary lives.
The UK is among the most heavily surveilled societies — even though it is one of the oldest democracies. We’re not talking about someone tracking credit card charges and phone bills (although, naturally, that does happen) but about being in full visible view to the authorities, and not being able to see them in turn.
You’re not alone in almost any urban public space in the UK. Wherever you go, live cameras deliver a live feed to police monitors. The known figure of 4.2 million CCTV cameras around the country is several years old.
After the latest blasts in our cities, there’s a clamour for more CCTVs, without serious debate about the downsides. Recently, dailies reported that the terrorists were worried to see in the news that a CCTV had captured them depositing a bomb at the Greater Kailash market in Delhi.
Surveillance is somewhat useful against terrorists and other criminals. But what price will normal citizens pay in mental health and lost privacy? Will a woman feel confident walking outdoors, day or night, if she knows that policemen may be watching closely? Will she feel oppressed? Will she change how she walks or dresses?
Will she be comfortable strolling with her husband, boyfriend or lover? Will the couple fear blackmail? After all, the police can be very uptight about public displays of affection. And nobody, after all, is immune to temptation. (Face-recognition software for CCTV input is a necessary extra.) Will couples then be forced indoors or to less-frequented places? Will women be safer then?
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Where will the police watching the screens draw the line between criminal activity and mild antisocial behaviour? For instance, on October 2, a ban on smoking in public spaces comes into effect. What will smokers do? Quit? Not likely. They will try to find unsurveilled corners and puff on. How will police watchers react to this law-breaking?
Public paranoia feeds private paranoia. A 2008 Kings College London study suggested that paranoid thoughts are very common — up to 40 per cent of people can experience such thoughts, mostly related to being watched in public spaces. Paranoia, like all other strong feelings, has physiological effects, and with our already-stressful lifestyles, can we handle much more of the same?
