Surveillance of Nottingham city centre
Tash [alan lodge] | 04.03.2006 00:32 | Repression | Social Struggles | Technology
Nottingham city centre is one of the most heavily surveyed places on the face of the earth, outside of London. All in aid of 'crime reduction policies' they say. Newham in East London is still streets ahead though with its system that involves the Mandrake Facial Recognition System. They have been testbeding it for a few years now.
Them watching us
http://www.spy.org.uk/n-mandrake.htm BBC News Candid camera for criminals
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/191692.stm Face Recognition - More than you think!
http://www.morethanyouthink.com/security/mandrake.html Privacy International 'Big Brother Awards'
http://www.gn.apc.org/tash/big_brother.htm Then, after a few tweeks, it will be rolled out nationally, including here of course. All very expensive of course. Which means a displacement of crime to other areas, not as advertised, 'crime reduction'
In addition to the 'civic' and police cameras, there are of course, loads of cameras outside of shops, bars, transport termini, mobile on the buses, trains and trams. As compression and bandwith advances, the internet will allow the combining of ALL of the sources, to the various control rooms. All this before I even get round to telling you about the ID card Database
http://www.nottingham-no2id.org.uk and the convergence of those technologies with CCTV in the street. Scary eh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sousveillance Inverse surveillance, sometimes known by the neologism "hierarchical sousveillance" ("seeing from below" hierarchically), refers to the recording or monitoring of real or apparent authority figures by others, particularly those who are generally the subject of surveillance. Steve Mann, who coined the term, describes it as "watchful vigilance from underneath". (The term stems from the contrasting French words sur, meaning "above", and sous, meaning "below", i.e. "surveillance" denotes the "eye-in-the-sky" watching from above, whereas "sousveillance" denotes bring the camera or other means of observation down to human level.)
The more general concept of sousveillance goes beyond just inverse surveillance and the associated 20th Century political "us versus them" framework for citizens to photograph police, shoppers to photograph shopkeepers, or passengers to photograph taxicab drivers. Just in case THey do something wrong, you understand .....
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In December last year, I went on a walk-about with Artist and designer Jez Noond of Nottingham Trent University. He has produced a complex map of Nottingham city centre CCTV charting the different networks in use and the extent of coverage. It shows their overlap of fields of view and how they triangulate almost any position in Nottingham city centre.
Short Sharp Shots: A Tour of CCTV in Nottingham City Centre
http://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2005/12/329575.html In addition to the crime reduction / shoplifting detection / public order cameras of the city centre, there are of course the traffic cameras. You are allowed to see the output of these. Check out:
BBC Nottingham City Centre Jamcams
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/webcams/city_jamcams.shtml TravelWise Nottingham CCTV
http://www.itsnottingham.info/tvframe.htm and then there are the mobile platform cameras
Nottinghamshire Police Surveillance Vehicles and Evidence Gathering
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2005/08/320469.html and...... the heavy mob:
Prime Minister visits Nottingham University :: Surveillance Operations
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/01/331596.html *****
If you want to know any more about me interest in surveillance, please check these links out:
surv - start:
http://tash.gn.apc.org/surv_10.htm surv - watched:
http://tash.gn.apc.org/watched1.htm surv - face recog:
http://tash.gn.apc.org/face_rec.htm surv - Nomad:
http://tash.gn.apc.org/nomad_10.htm surv - mayday 2000&1:
http://tash.gn.apc.org/surv_mday1.htm I say be afraid, be very afraid ......
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ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK
Email:
tash@gn.apc.org Web:
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http://tash.dns2go.com Member of the National Union of Journalists [No: 014345]
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"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
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Tash [alan lodge]
e-mail:
tash@indymedia.org
Homepage:
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