Security vs Privacy

In the fight against crime, the increase in Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV in advance) cameras at public places is thought to be recommended. In this way, whereas they appear only in banks, museums, jeweller’s and at high-security places until a few years ago, nowadays it is very common to see them in public places such as small businesses, parks, shopping centers, petrol stations, underground,… I have seen them even at schools and streets. Many people are opposed to this, saying that it invades our privacy. What do you think about it? I am inclined to believe that, like all things in life, it has its positive and negative side.

As a general rule, people behave better when they know that they are being observed. In this regard, it is impossible not to assume CCTV cameras as a good way to instill civility into society. However, would not it be better if people behave well without the necessity of installing cameras? To my way of thinking, it would be better for the society and to the fight against crime, to educate and to teach good manners to our children and young, than to install CCTV cameras everywhere. Not only it would be a more long-time solution, but it would also it would be more economic.

On the other hand, criminals can be deterred, caught or even identified through the information recorded by theses cameras. That information helps to reduceing crime and consequently to make the streets safer for people. Nevertheless, Whether the information is a good thing depends on the person who has it. Therefore, for instance, corrupt authorities could use any information in the wrong way or twist it to victimize people.

Finally, as was previously stated, many people think theses cameras affect our privacy. It is thought that we should be free to travel or move around the world without being recorded by cameras. That is a human right that could be seen as a deprived right at the moment we are being 24 hours a day observed.

To conclude, it is important to remember that nothing in this life can have the absolute truth. So, cameras can not be the solution: I think we need to work in future generation’s education, in human right maintenance and in reducing crime (not only with cameras but also with new human methods). If we work in one direction with all our tools, we will achieve more and better goals.

Security vs Privacy

In the fight against crime, the increase in Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) and modern surveillance cameras in public places is thought to be recommended. Whereas they appeared only in banks, museums, jewelry stores and in high-security areas until a few years ago, nowadays it is very common to see them in public places such as small businesses, parks, shopping centers, petrol stations, underground etc.. I have seen them even in schools and streets. Many people are opposed to this, saying that it invades privacy. What do you think? I am inclined to agree but like all things in life, it has its positive and negative side.

As a general rule, people behave better when they know they are being (watched) observed. In this regard, it is impossible not to assume that CCTV cameras are a good way to instill civility. However, wouldn't it be better if people behaved well without the necessity of those cameras? In my way of thinking, it would be better for society and to the fight against crime, to educate and teach good manners to our children and young adults, rather than installing CCTV cameras everywhere. It would not only be a long-time solution but also more economical.

On other hand, criminals can be deterred, caught or even identified through the information recorded by theses cameras. That information helps to reduce crime and consequently make the streets safer for people. Nevertheless, wheather the information is a good thing, depends on who owns it. Corrupt authorities, for instance, could wrongfully twist this information to victimize people.

Finally, as previously stated, many people think theses cameras affect our privacy. It is thought that we should be free to travel or move around the world without being recorded by cameras. That is a human right which could be seen as deprived when being observed 24 hours a day.

To conclude, it is important to remember that nothing in this life can be the absolute truth. So, cameras cannot be the solution. I think we need to educate the future generation in human rights maintenance and in reducing crime (not only with cameras but also with new human methods). If we all work in one direction with all our tools, we will achieve more and better goals.

Good job writing about this subject and I agree with you assessment.