Dismantling the Beast – Big Brother
Courtenay Rogers | 11.09.2008 22:03 | Analysis
Currently the U.K. is home to a little over 4 Million CCTV cameras although that this figure is admitted to be guess work to a certain extent due to the methodology used to determine it, it is the only real figure available, this amounts to 20% of the CCTV cameras in operation worldwide, it is also known that in the U.K. you are likely to be caught on camera approximately 300 times per day.
According to a report released in 2007 by the independent CCTV watchdog CameraWatch up to 90% of these cameras are operating illegally with a total disregard to the Data Protection Act or at least in breech of privacy guidelines laid out by the Information Commissioner's code of practice in order to stop cameras being used inappropriately.
Since the widespread introduction of CCTV which was sold to us on the basis of crime prevention it has come to be used for a number of differing things most not really related to crime at all.
Some local councils now have the right to use these cameras as a means to create parking revenue, all use them for purposes such as monitoring residents for non criminal activities, everything from catchment area cheats to protestors and with the new measures due to be announced by the queen in her November speech a lot more agencies/companies will have access to this information.
Strangely though in most cases where a crime has been committed within view of CCTV unless it is of advantage to the CPS there will rarely be any available footage.
CCTV is at the very top level of government tools used to repress us subconsciously and to keep us in line, for instance look at the very nature of them, although there are thousands of well designed reasonably sized cameras available that could be used more discreetly, nearly all government cameras are huge bulky military looking things that look like they would be more at home outside a prison pointing inwards.
Does design matter? I here you ask, well yes in fact it does a great deal as the design itself is intended to create paranoia and uneasiness, a feeling of besiegement and being watched this is very similar to the difference between uniform and plain clothed police officers, so surely if these cameras where there to induce anything other than fear there would be no need for the intimidating design and position of them.
Due to there nature and presence we are constantly kept aware that we are living in a world of increasing crime, violence and terror, ultimately keeping a lid on any true dissent within the populace.
In her November speech this year the queen is due to make an announcement with regards to the new bill being pushed through that will see all communication providers being obliged to provide records of all communications on court request, via the court over 700 agencies, organisation’s and companies will have access to this information every one from local borough councils to the government and then some.
This is a very real form of repression and is likely to be misused to political ends as is already happening with anti-terror legislation and council bye-laws, with both being used against protesters and journalists alike.
Mainstream Journalism and Media has allready admitted its been affected with the NUJ protesting outside Scotland Yard against these misuses of law which are being actively used to one end, to shut people up with differing opinions and to prevent the reporting of the real truth.
Community Support Officers, Billed to be the new visible force on the streets and the ultimate answer to police and community relations, have achieved nothing of real value.
Do you feel any safer? Do you feel the police are any more approachable?
The likely hood is that you don’t and there’s very good reason for this, once again this has an opposite effect to which its stated effect is supposed to be.
By doing this the police force achieved a number of advantages, first and foremost they created a buffer between the community and the real police force, with the real police force becoming more intimidating both in appearance and attitude.
Secondly they created the illusion of a heavily policed community which again, creates the feeling of paranoia and fear and plays its hand in making sure we all conform.
Thirdly they got 2yrs extra to train there jnr. bobbies and considering in reality CSO's have very little power that’s 2 years to become very power hungry and indoctrinated into the ways and attitude of the real police force.
The sum result of this is that there will never be a change in the status-quo whilst the apparatus of big brother exists, as with the existence of big brother there can never truly be any real political or community dissent, which is what will be required to truly change the balance and create truly new methods of government as opposed to the same old rehash’s of what past governments have left behind.
Since the widespread introduction of CCTV which was sold to us on the basis of crime prevention it has come to be used for a number of differing things most not really related to crime at all.
Some local councils now have the right to use these cameras as a means to create parking revenue, all use them for purposes such as monitoring residents for non criminal activities, everything from catchment area cheats to protestors and with the new measures due to be announced by the queen in her November speech a lot more agencies/companies will have access to this information.
Strangely though in most cases where a crime has been committed within view of CCTV unless it is of advantage to the CPS there will rarely be any available footage.
CCTV is at the very top level of government tools used to repress us subconsciously and to keep us in line, for instance look at the very nature of them, although there are thousands of well designed reasonably sized cameras available that could be used more discreetly, nearly all government cameras are huge bulky military looking things that look like they would be more at home outside a prison pointing inwards.
Does design matter? I here you ask, well yes in fact it does a great deal as the design itself is intended to create paranoia and uneasiness, a feeling of besiegement and being watched this is very similar to the difference between uniform and plain clothed police officers, so surely if these cameras where there to induce anything other than fear there would be no need for the intimidating design and position of them.
Due to there nature and presence we are constantly kept aware that we are living in a world of increasing crime, violence and terror, ultimately keeping a lid on any true dissent within the populace.
In her November speech this year the queen is due to make an announcement with regards to the new bill being pushed through that will see all communication providers being obliged to provide records of all communications on court request, via the court over 700 agencies, organisation’s and companies will have access to this information every one from local borough councils to the government and then some.
This is a very real form of repression and is likely to be misused to political ends as is already happening with anti-terror legislation and council bye-laws, with both being used against protesters and journalists alike.
Mainstream Journalism and Media has allready admitted its been affected with the NUJ protesting outside Scotland Yard against these misuses of law which are being actively used to one end, to shut people up with differing opinions and to prevent the reporting of the real truth.
Community Support Officers, Billed to be the new visible force on the streets and the ultimate answer to police and community relations, have achieved nothing of real value.
Do you feel any safer? Do you feel the police are any more approachable?
The likely hood is that you don’t and there’s very good reason for this, once again this has an opposite effect to which its stated effect is supposed to be.
By doing this the police force achieved a number of advantages, first and foremost they created a buffer between the community and the real police force, with the real police force becoming more intimidating both in appearance and attitude.
Secondly they created the illusion of a heavily policed community which again, creates the feeling of paranoia and fear and plays its hand in making sure we all conform.
Thirdly they got 2yrs extra to train there jnr. bobbies and considering in reality CSO's have very little power that’s 2 years to become very power hungry and indoctrinated into the ways and attitude of the real police force.
The sum result of this is that there will never be a change in the status-quo whilst the apparatus of big brother exists, as with the existence of big brother there can never truly be any real political or community dissent, which is what will be required to truly change the balance and create truly new methods of government as opposed to the same old rehash’s of what past governments have left behind.
Courtenay Rogers
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