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Dogs or cats? (To prove Mr. Starace wrong)

We're Living in a Privacy-Free Age 12/15/17


        Recently, a video surfaced from a home surveillance camera catching an Amazon delivery woman, who was hired for the rush of the holiday season, going to the bathroom on the curb of a street. (I suggest reading the article that goes along with he video too, it's crazy how worked up people get over such small things). The video gained some popularity, and she was fired. This made me even more concerned than I already was for our lack of privacy in today's world.
        The woman, probably overworked and sleep deprived, was doing what she needed to do in order to carry on with her job. Was there anything wrong with the appalled homeowner posting the video? Sure, what the Amazon worker did was wrong, but considering the circumstances, was it right to post a video like that? Especially knowing that these sort of things get people fired? I have began to wonder if more people use security cameras for catching "funny" moments on video than actually catching crime-doers and scenes they originally intended to be able to see when they bought the camera in the first place.
        Everywhere I go, I am constantly having to be aware of security cameras. They're everywhere: dash cams; home surveillance cameras; and some even speculate your own computer and phone lenses. They are a way to control the public. It would be very interesting to buy a fake camera, install it in the open, then hide myself and compare how people behave with and without the camera present.  I have to assume that I am always being watched. If I make a mistake, or do something embarrassing, will I end up like the countless number of people who have been affected by their presence on a surveillance tape?
        I cannot imagine this being healthy for one's mental health, and to be frank, I do not think there is any solution to this problem. I feel as if this will be an ongoing issue for as long as we have the ability to buy and install security cameras. Even if we don't I am positive that someone would come up with another way to make sure that everyone is being watched.

Comments

  1. Jacob DeanDecember 16, 2017 at 7:20 PM

    While it is true that the proliferation of cameras reduces privacy, it has also had some extremely positive effects. For example, the ubiquity of phone cameras has woken up our country to the issue of police brutality. The police have always killed black men at comparatively very high rates, but our modern technology allowed videos of these atrocities to be easily recorded and distributed, exposing this problem. Your fears are understandable, but in my opinion it is generally better for cameras to be common, as long as they are not centrally controlled.

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  2. UnknownDecember 17, 2017 at 2:54 PM

    I think that the important question we should be asking about privacy is not, "how?," but, "why?" Why, more suddenly than ever, is there a drive to reduce privacy through the use of things like cameras? Some would argue that is is based in profit motive, others would argue that they exist to make the world a safer place, and our more conspiratorial peers might claim that they exist for the government to gain information about us. Regardless of what you think, I disagree with your assertion that there is no solution to this problem - I think that asking why cameras exist is the first in a number of measures that can be taken to reclaim our privacy. On another note, I wonder what was going on with that lady where she really just could not ask the person to use their bathroom.

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    Replies
    1. Riley StallingsDecember 18, 2017 at 12:24 AM

      I understand your point. I just want to add that I see the rapid increase in number of cameras, both for security and other purposes a result of our incessant need to be in control of everything. Ever since the dawn of the computer, people can control more and more from the palm of their hands, and so we have become accustomed to being able to control everything. To not have what we think of as control of our lives has become a source of anxiety recently, and I just see security cameras as a way to satisfy out craving for control, with the side effect of an increase in accountability.

      Delete
  3. UnknownDecember 17, 2017 at 5:34 PM

    Wait so what do delivery people do when they have to use the bathroom? Their schedules are pretty busy so I don't really see much of a solution other than knocking on doors asking to use the restroom. How awkward would that be though haha.

    ReplyDelete

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