[Opinion] Surveillance Cameras

Police in Tempa, Florida in the U.S. pushed for an experimental program back in 2000. They installed digital cameras at every entrance of the city’s football stadium to take pictures of spectators. Using the face-recognition system, soon they found 19 faces matching those of criminals on the wanted list. It was far more effective and sophisticated technology than the existing circuit closed TV (CCTV) recording. The police, satisfied with the results, began to place the watchful cameras every corner of the city. Virginia Beach City in Virginia followed the suit in July this year.

▷Britain is known as a country with the largest number of surveillance cameras. It introduced the world’s first unmanned surveillance camera for traffic violations, and later even set up surveillance cameras across an entire city. Run-of-the-mill people there are caught in the gaze of cameras about 200 to 300 times a day. Is it a mere coincidence then that George Owell, who wrote `1984` a story about people living under the constant watch of the system, was a Brit? Surveillance cameras, in fact, are being used effectively for various purposes in this country as well – from underground parking lots and roads to banks, elevators, buses, locker rooms and offices.

▷Gangnam Police Precinct has recently decided to install four surveillance cameras in back allies of Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu. The neighborhood, where many young women working at bars and saloons live alone in one-room apartments, has been plagued with robberies and rapes against women returning home late at night. The setup of CCTVs, therefore, is seen as an effort to prevent crimes by laying watchful eyes. It is estimated to cost about 58 million won and one of Seoul’s most affluent district offices will pay for the cost.

▷The plan is welcoming in that it is aimed to curb crimes and ease the fear of residents. Yet, the concern is growing that it could encroach people’s privacy while shrewd criminals find easy ways to elude the gaze of cameras. If it proves so, the police must take a harsher measure to clamp down on crimes. It will not be long before we have face-recognition systems given our cutting-edge technology. Then, it might be the time to discuss regulatory arrangements for the setup and control of watchful cameras.

Moon Myung-ho, Editorial Writer, munmh97@donga.com