Who hasn’t noticed? There are cameras on the streets, in the shops, on public transportation, even in schools and at work! Video surveillence is used to monitor our lives, to control our actions, and to suppress our resistance – above all, it’s against our peaceful coexistence. Comprehensive monitoring is the most visible manifestation of the ubiquitous eyes of the state, done under the guise of society’s basic need for security.
Cameras are also an expression of a society whose members have lost control of their own lives. In the wake of perceived Islamic extremism, hyped up ludicrously by the media, they demand more cameras be installed in their hysteria.
It’s clear to rational people that cameras do not prevent crime, yet politicians and the surveillence industry take advantage of the situation to install more, newer, better cameras in public. Software to monitor high-resolution images for faces and movement patterns already exists and is being implemented. Anyone who feels more secure as a result of this is crazy. The BZ is reporting that the Berlin S-Station currently upgrading to take advantage of this technology.
Another common tactic for stroking fear is alleged terorrists who want to blow us all up. Aside from the fact that such instances are extremely rare, one thing is clear: no one is in a position to prevent these attacks using a camera. Nevertheless, after the case of a recent bomb discovery, there was an immediate demand for more camera surveillance.
Why does the state have such a huge interest in developing surveillence techonlogy in general, and with CCTV in particular? A look at London could provide an explanation. Comprehensive supervision of the city followed the conflict between a generation of young people and the desperate state after the police shot a migrant worker to death. Using video images, thousands of protesters were identified and repressed. Imprisonment, fines, and ostracism completely shattered any hope of a movment. Rioting is not always a positive thing, but the potential for rioting should not be used to suppress the rights of the oppressed and marginalized.
The state apparatus is right to fear such movements, and they struggle to defend “stability” while conveniently protecting their assets. It’s about power, and not about values and rights. But we can defend ourselves against the state and against corporations and take away their sight! CAM OVER!