The Benefits and
Liabilities of Hidden Surveillance Cameras
Surveillance cameras are here to stay.
Around the world, there are hidden cameras at train depots, bus stops,
banks, ATM machine locations, malls, restaurants, convenience stores,
art galleries, casinos, hotels, lobbies of condominiums and even homes.
Depending on the need and motive behind their installation, the
surveillance cameras are either monitored live by security personnel to
identify offenders on the spot, or they are fed into video recording
devices. Anyone who has visited a casino would have been scrutinized on
camera and if you have visited the US, the you would have been
certainly been captured on a hidden camera.
The popularity of these cameras is their
size and their affordability when compared to other security measures
and methods. On the other hand, monitored surveillance is expensive but
is worth the price as it has a proven record in being effective in
identifying and nabbing shop lifters and other criminals.
There are however, a few drawbacks to the
hidden cameras. One is that due to their size, they offer a very
limited view and might not hold up in court. Another is that the
photographic results do not offer the best quality or resolution.
A common grudge against the cameras is that
it is felt to be an invasion of privacy. It is also more upsetting to
people that they were mistrusted in the first place rather than the
fact that they were `caught in the act’ so to speak. People
in the US are extremely sensitive about their rights to privacy and
resent the cameras which breach those rights. This topic has generated
a debate on the validity of permissibility and some states will not
permit hidden cameras.
The hidden surveillance cameras are a
valuable tool if the aim is to identify and catch those that are
stealing, misusing their privileges, harming the children they are
meant to care for and who generally abuse the faith you reposed in them
as employees, nannies or housekeepers.
However, as the size and hidden nature of
the cameras preclude them from being effective in deterring crime and
to be offered in a court of law as evidence, you cannot rely on them
alone to secure your home or business.
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