• Travel and Vacations

  Move surveillance cameras doesn't necessarily reduce crime rates

  Posted by Nigel Brown on 15 August 2020 at 4:30 pm

  Globally there are 770 million closed-circuit television surveillance cameras in use, according to a recent analysis of the worlds cities under constant surveillance by Comparitech, a website that provides consumers with information about technology.

  China unsurprising is home to nine out of the top 10 most surveilled cities and over half (54%) of the cameras in use globally. Taiyuan, the largest city in China’s Shanxi province, takes the top spot with 465,255 cameras covering nearly 3.9 million people, equal to one camera for every eight residents.

  Beijing, China’s capital city of around 20 million people, has the most cameras overall, with a total of 1.15 million installed, though less cameras per capita than Taiyuan.

  London is the only city outside of China to feature in the top 10. The capital of the United Kingdom has 627,727 cameras for a population of 9.3 million, equal to one camera for every 14 residents.

  Crime prevention is often a primary argument for increased CCTV surveillance, but the index found that more cameras doesn’t necessarily reduce crime rates.

  “Crime is often the reason cited by cities when installing cameras, but we found little correlation,” says Rebecca Moody, a researcher with Comparitech. “A higher number of cameras just barely correlates with a lower crime index. Broadly speaking, more cameras doesn’t necessarily reduce crime rates.”

  By 2021, over 1 billion surveillance cameras will be installed globally, according to IHS Markit, a data provider based in London.

  The use of facial recognition technology is also growing in cities. The current pandemic has seen a number of cities turning to facial recognition cameras to try and control outbreaks – a trend some say is likely to increase.

  Moscow has seen a spike in facial recognition technology deployed, and there are plans in various other places, including Singapore and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, several U.S. cities have banned facial recognition technology, citing concerns over privacy. In June, Boston became the second-largest city in the world after San Francisco to ban the use of facial recognition technology by police and city agencies.

  Is this the start of the New World order or are governments truly spying on our every move, tracking all our steps to keep us safe as they claim?

  

  

  Nigel Brown replied 4 years, 1 month ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
• 0 Replies

Log In to Reply