UK putting cameras in private homes
In the “you’ve got to be kidding” category is a post on Wired Gadget Lab that refers to an article in the Daily Express that says the UK government is going to put 20,000 UK “problem families” under 24 hour CCTV supervision in their own homes.
And if you subscribe to the “if you’ve got nothing to hide, there’s nothing to worry about” line that we hear all too often, take a look at arguments against that in these articles by Bruce Schneier and Prof Daniel Solove and from the Washington Post.
The astute observer might note that the UK “subjects” have first been disarmed.
Comment by circle456 — August 4, 2009 @ 11:24 pm
A short Google search led me to this official U.K. explanation of “Family Intervention Projects”: http://www.respect.gov.uk/members/article.aspx?id=8678
Video surveillance is not mentioned, rather the emphasis seems to be on direct, in-person observation of, and interaction with, socially problematic families by specially trained and appointed long term social workers.
Not a bad approach, although of course there are issues of consent, choice and compulsion.
Comment by MJDL — August 11, 2009 @ 2:08 pm