Essay: Public Surveillance and automated Face Recognition: Public Safety or is Big Brother Watching?

Abstract
In this paper, I explain what Big brother is and the advantages and disadvantages of it. Furthermore, I elaborate further on public surveillance and automated face recognition systems. I also find out how that has made our lives safer, I also check the number of cctv cameras in the uk and how they have helped reduce crimes. I find sources which support my claim that big brother is indeed watching but if you don’t have anything to hide it shouldn’t be an issue.
Introduction
Have you ever had the feeling that you’re being watched? Well you are! By the government. The Government have installed CCTV cameras on every street, mall, bus, airport etc. to prevent crime and apprehend lawbreakers in the process. These cctv cameras transmit live signals to television monitors at police stations all over the country. Over the years, public safety has relied in the hands of the government. The Government then introduced the cctv camera to help reduce the crimes in the country. CCTV also known as Closed Circuit Television was introduced in the late 90s but became widespread in the mid-2000s. In the United Kingdom alone there are almost 6 million cctv cameras in the country and out of that number, 750,000 are strategically place in places like schools, hospitals, banks, airports etc. After cctv was introduced to the public eye, another form of security measure was introduced again this time in the form of a facial recognition system. This was first introduced during the mid-1960’s by a pioneer of artificial intelligence Wilson Bledsoe. This was created to identify people based on their facial features i.e. mostly the width of their mouths or the width between their eyes. Additionally, Facial recognition has advanced over the years especially after the 9/11 events which happened in the United States of America.
Public Surveillance
Public surveillance can be described simply as the collection, analysis and recording of data by the use of the cctv cameras. cctv cameras are becoming normal thing to see in the developing countries, this mainly is as a result of fears of terrorism and other forms of crimes like theft. Even though cctv cameras have helped cities stay safe, they also have their pros and cons. CCTV cameras were made popular after the 9/11 tragedy which happened in the United States of America. Authorities were left crippled with no method of identifying their perpetrators. They even became widespread after the 7th July bombings in the United Kingdom. After all those incidents, cctvs were introduced everywhere, from public transports to shopping centres. It has been statistically proven that crimes have reduced due to the introduction of cameras in shops, streets and most importantly airports. Criminals have been caught red handed by evidence provided by the cctv cameras, with the facial recognition system being integrated to some cctv units, criminals are easily identified and stopped in their tracks before they do something irrational. Without the footage from the cameras it could be really difficult to get a description of a criminal. For example, the Boston bombing criminals were easily identified with the help of the footage from a CCTV camera installed in a department shop, when arrested the Video footage recorded from cctv cameras will be used as evidence in the court of law.
The sight of a cctv camera gives most people a sign of being safe especially at deserted areas during the night time but not everyone likes the sight of a cctv camera.
A major con of the cctv camera is that it infringes on the rights of the public. You can’t live a normal life without being monitored by a camera. People feel like they\’re being watched every step they take. Some parts of their lives aren\’t meant to be recorded for people in high places to see. Everyone has a private life and they won’t want anyone watching them or worst case scenario recording them.
Furthermore, the footage recorded by the cameras can get in the wrong hands and be used as a form of blackmail, back in the late 1990s an officer in the police department abused the cctv footage he had. He used it to spy on a gay club during the night and blackmailed the married patrons of the gay club using information gathered by using their vehicle registration plates. Furthermore, another form of spying is voyeurism. The Dictionary describes Voyeurism as the practice or act of gaining sexual gratification by looking at sexual objects secretly. In a nutshell the lack of control on the cctv cameras is a major factor and there haven\’t been a solution to resolve that issue.
Another disadvantage of the CCTV camera is that its effectiveness has not been proven, criminals now use the cctv cameras to attract the attention of the public instead of being deterred by it.
Last but not the least, cctv cameras are expensive to buy and maintain especially on a large scale. In the UK alone the cctv systems cost more than £300 million from the year 1999 to 2001 The public have argued as to why money should be spent on something that is not enough to prevent crimes from happening. For technology that is used to infringe on the rights of the public it shouldn’t have money pumped into maintaining it.
In this century cctv cameras can be very helpful. During the recent nightclub shooting in Orlando, staying safe in public venues has raised some concerns. Strategically placing cctv cameras in public places like malls and banks can help curb the crime rates in the country, needless to say some perpetrators will not be phased by the sight of the cctv cameras. Little to nothing can be done about the infringement of the rights and privacy of the public. The public needs to understand that in order for their own safety and wellbeing some sacrifices need to be made.
Automated Face Recognition
It has been argued that Automated Facial Recognition is the next big technology advancement to hit the public scene. It also has been said that the introduction of the Automated Facial Recognition will strengthen the security at banks and airports but a selected few say the introduction of that technology will be inaccurate. They also touched on the fact that the introduction of Automated Facial Recognition will be biased and based on certain individuals based on their ethnicity. I will be researching what Automated Facial Recognition is and its pros and cons. Automated face recognition is a type of software which is able to single out a specific person in a digital image by spotting and finding features from their face. It is capable of verifying a person from an image which is in a digital format, this is done by using selected facial features from a digital image from a database on its system. Facial recognition systems are mostly used for security reasons but they are now being introduced into an array of softwares. An example of facial recognition is the Microsoft Kinect, it uses facial recognition system to differentiate between players, it can also monitor the movements the players make during the process of gaming. Face recognition systems are based on face prints which are in numerical codes. It finds 80 nodal points on the individual\’s face, the face print identifies the length and width of the jawline, the shape of the cheekbones or the spacing between the eyes. The faceprints can instantly and precisely pinpoint an individual if the individual fits the description inputted into the system. Nonetheless, if the described individuals face has partially been concealed with facial hair or even a scar on the face, the system will fail to recognise the person. some social media platforms like Facebook use Automated Facial recognition to aide in image tagging. Some phone cameras too have the abilities to recognise and focus on the face when taking selfies. Snapchat has built its software mainly on facial recognition, for its filter to work it needs to identify the user\’s face and apply the filter respectively. Some billboards have been integrated with the software to identify the gender, average age and race of observers to convey targeted adverts. Automated Facial Recognition is becoming an everyday technology which begs the question whether people will remain unidentified in the coming future. Artificial intelligence which detects faces are real and showing up in airports, billboards, malls and even on our smartphones. The question still stands. Who is defending us from Big Brother from infringing on our privacy and sniffing out our every move. Though automated facial recognition systems have a problem of recognizing faces in dimmed light or poor quality photos, softwares have been developed to capture the face of an individual and create a 3-dimension model of it. The software will rotate the image around until it identifies the individual the face belongs to.
The Pros and Cons of Automated Facial Recognition are expanded below.
The Pros of the Automated Facial Recognition is that since the introduction of the 3Dimensional images finding people based on the images have become really authentic and exact compared to the earlier versions. It takes the image and rotates it till it finds the face of the inputted image.
Furthermore, Automated Facial Recognition compared to other forms of security systems like fingerprint scanners are quicker and much easier to use. Which means no one will have to worry about their identity being messed up by a burn on their finger or even a minor paper cut.
Facial recognition has a major benefit when it comes to security. Employees can enter their place of work using a facial recognition system for identification processes.
When used at work, it has another major benefit. No worker can sign in at work for another worker or as another worker, and no intruder will be able to access or trespass where they are not needed for example the manager’s office.
The Cons of Automated Recognition Software;
Every form of technology has its flaws which prevents it from working as desired.
The cons of a facial recognition system are that growing a facial hair can interfere with the recognition of a person. This can be simply resolved by getting the database updated periodically if they grow or shave their facial hair.
It can also mistake a person based on their weight change. The infrared cameras mostly do not mistake one individual for another but substantial weight changes can cause the software to misidentify individuals. However, like the facial hair problem we can solve this issue by periodically updating the software’s database.
Big Brother.
The word big brother originally comes from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. The dictionary describes dystopia as “A society characterized by operession, misery and often totalitarian form of government that attempts to stop out individual freedoms in favour of the state’s absolute power”. This simply means we live in a world where we are convincing by the government that we are well cared for and protected. Unfortunately we are told what to do and how to do it, we are told what to eat and when to eat it. If anyone goes against the laws of big brother they will be persecuted and punished. To expand further, we are being monitored 24/7 by cctv cameras and we are forced to believe that the cameras are there to protect us. All these adverts on television telling us to eat healthy and to visit the gyms and health centres is their way of telling us what to do. In some countries or cities there are curfews preventing citizens from going out late at night for fear of being attacked by thugs or criminals. Is Big Brother Watching? Yes definitely. From the minute you step outside your house you being watched till you get back home. In the uk the statistics show that one man is to 11 cameras. That is a blessing and a curse. It’s one of two things, either you’re being watched and followed or you’re being monitored and kept safe by authorities. Cctv cameras has been upgraded from the grainy black and white shots to the 16 megapixels high definition cameras which has a 360-degree view that can identify any face from half a mile in a crowd. Ever since the advancement of the cctv cameras life has become easier not only for the public but the authorities. From number plate recognition systems to facial recognition systems. Let’s say you drive past your speeding limit and your car number plate has been captured on the cctv cameras, it will match your number plate with the driver’s photo and send a fine to the driver through the post. Even if people tend to walk around and act suspiciously, now thanks to a program named Intelligence Pedestrian Surveillance, the cctv cameras are able to identify anyone from half a mile away acting suspiciously.
To briefly explain how uk became one of the most watched country’s in the world, it all started when a toddler was taken by the hand of a stranger and led out of a shopping centre in Liverpool in the late 1990s. This event was recorded by the cctv camera but unfortunately couldn’t be stopped on time to rescue the trusting toddler. The footage from the recording helped the police track down the two boys and charged them with kidnapping and murder.
Despite fears that the footage gotten from the cctv cameras is infringing on their privacy, the public remains exuberant. According to a survey conducted by the government more than 80% of Britons believed that cctv cameras prevented crimes and helped with investigations. More than half also did not believe that the introduction of cctv cameras infringed on their personal rights.
Summary
In conclusion cctv cameras can be very helpful especially after recent terrorist incidents that have plagued developed or developing countries like the USA and the UK in public places. Needless to say, we should be careful when we go about our daily duties. Cameras have been placed in strategic places to ensure safety and most importantly prevent the rise in crimes. On the other hand, the use of cctv cameras to spy on people would violate the rights and privacy of the public. But the public have gotten used to the sight of them around. All private things need to be done in private. Big brother is indeed watching us but our public safety is being considered too.
In my opinion the pros have outweighed the cons of installing cctv cameras and facial recognition systems massively. Imagine a shop without cctv cameras, even imagine a bank without a facial recognition system, or worse imagine our world without it. Chaos and crimes will be on the rise and there will be no way of identifying the culprits. In 2014, there were an estimated 1,165,383 violent crimes 8,277,829 property crimes committed, furthermore rate of crimes has skyrocketed in a couple of year. Concern for privacy should not be a problem once you behave yourself in public.
References
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