Tomorrow's surveillance technology may be considerably more effective. But each improvement in technology will typically come at the cost of more intrusion into the privacy of ordinary citizens. The public in general seems unaware of the goals of scientists around the world who have been intensifying their efforts to perfect the art of surveillance, hoping to catch criminals and terrorists before they strike.
Research laboratories foresee tools that could identify and track just about every person, anywhere and sound alarms when the systems encounter hazardous devices or chemical compounds. Many of these ideas stem from the annals of science fiction. For example, an artificial nose in doorways and corridors sniffs out faint traces of explosives on someone's hair. Tiny sensors floating in reservoirs detect a deadly microbe and radio a warning. Smart cameras "finger" people at a distance by the way they walk or by the shape of their nose. Chemical lab's analyzes the sweat, body odor, and skin flakes in the human thermal plume which represents the halo of heat that surrounds each person.
Consumer demand for video and audio surveillance products is speeding their development by lowering the cost of the underlying technologies. Camera phones, nanny cams, and even satellite photos are commonplace and can be found everywhere. Human sensors are flooding into households in the form of tests for HIV, pregnancy, and diabetes some of which can relay data to a doctor and soon there will be far more sensitive DNA-based tests to be even more accurate matching than ever. Groups are working on radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. These surveillance tags are sold in stores to help track inventory, and 50 people in the U.S. have had them planted under their skin to broadcast their ID and medical data, in case of an emergency.
These developments portray a high-tech surveillance camera society that could not have even been imagined by science fiction writer George Orwell, a world in which virtually every advance brings benefits as well as personal intrusions. Rapid DNA-based probes, for example, could help protect us from bioweapons and diagnose diseases, but they might also reveal far too much about us to health insurers or prospective employers. The trade-offs are not pleasant, in part, because big corporations and governments will continue to wield the most advanced surveillance systems. But also, ordinary people will also gain capabilities to monitor their home and surroundings with these advance consumer technologies, from Web cams to Internet search and tracking tools, allowing them to watch and be watched from every perspective.
Here's an example of what could happen in society: A subway commuter posted on the Internet some cell-phone photos he took of a passenger who had refused to clean up after her cat relieved itself during the ride. In no time, a vigilante mob on the Internet identified her by her face and the purse she was carrying, and she became the object of national vilification.
If terrorism becomes pandemic in Europe and America, emerging surveillance tools may be abused in even more bizarre ways. At the same time, the overhead burdens of a police state could impose crippling costs on a free-market economy. Witness the U.S. clampdown on foreign student visas, which could end up crimping a universities ability to do advanced research.
Industry experts disagree about when the most advanced tools to thwart terrorist acts will arrive on the market and whether they will even deliver what they promise. Sensors that can detect bombs, radiation, and toxins exist today, and will be far more sophisticated a decade from now. But strewing them across every city in America would cost untold billions of dollars. High-tech electronic eavesdropping on communications networks can be effective, but only if terrorists use telecom systems. But even with the latest improvements in spy cameras, biometric devices such as iris scans, bomb sniffers, and tracking software, it will be many years before they can pick a terrorist out of a crowd and stop him before he commits his terrorist acts. Sacrifices in society and in governments will be made as our society becomes a surveillance society. The debate will rage on for decades to come.
The Ultimate Universal Sensor, a small and cheap enough to scatter in public places, and smart enough to sniff out anything that comes its way, without being preprogrammed to find specific molecules. Nobody is close to reaching that goal yet, but Sandia National Laboratories has designed a lab-on-a-chip that detects a variety of both chemical and biological agents. It has skinny micro channels etched in its surface. When a gas or liquid moves through the tiny pipes, it collides with special material, and how much that slows the flow betrays the identity of the fluid. Sandia is now developing this technology to monitor the Contra Costa County (Calif.) water supply.
These systems may not be in place in time for the next attack in a Western country let alone in Egypt or Iraq but if terrorists hit the U.S. again, the authorities are bound to strike back. Among other things, today's restraints on racial profiling are likely to crumble. Then what will we do? In the arms race against the terrorist suicide bombers, will surveillance technologies prove their worth?
Some governments have already used Electronic Monitoring to foil some terrorist plots, and portals that spot guns and explosives make airports safer. Unfortunately, many of the most powerful technologies are simply too new. It may take a decade or more before networks of biochemical sensors are ready to blanket a whole city. And it could take as long before camera systems can pick a known face terrorist or otherwise out of the crowds. For now, only a combination of electronic monitoring and human intelligence stands a chance of holding radicals at bay.
In the meantime, scientists who labor on surveillance prototypes are encouraged that their innovations can bring benefits in health care and food safety. Over time, people may get smarter about how to live with threats and make use of technology without undermining their most basic values. A country that sacrifices its citizens' freedom in the fight to protect them is no hero.
Technology Takes Surveillance Cameras to the Next Level
With technology continuously offering new and improved things to society today, it is no surprise that surveillance cameras have improved the way we can protect ourselves. Everything from infrared cameras to wireless PC cameras can be bought on the market, and many can be purchased for a surprisingly reasonable rate.
The future of surveillance cameras lies within pc surveillance systems with wireless cameras. This is truly one of the only ways you can go about getting a portable system that is quick and easy to use. There really is no installation process needed and if you want to put night video surveillance cameras around, there is little effort required.
To enhance the experience even more with your PC wireless cameras, you can use DVR multiplexers with the cameras. This allows you to send data to your PC and control everything that happens with the cameras from your computer. Even if you are on vacation, as long as you have an Internet connection you can view your cameras and control what they are doing.
If you are looking to put surveillance cameras outside your house or business to watch at night, purchasing an infrared camera is the way to go. Infrared cameras automatically illuminate in the dark, giving it the ability to record in black and white mode. Using low light wavelengths, these cameras can detect moving objects in the complete darkness allowing you to sleep comfortably. It's almost essential to have since a majority of robberies and break-ins are after sunset.
Board cameras are fixed lens' mounted on a circuit board that are packaged either in a small case, a dome or simply aren't packaged at all. Lenses that you will find in these cameras are either a normal industry opening or a pinhole lens with a very small opening. It is the pinhole lens that is most commonly known as spy cameras.
Spy cameras are great for mounting in a concealed manner for covert surveillance situations. You can place a spy camera virtually anywhere that is small and undetected, but the most common places you will find them at are in smoke detectors and small holes in a wall. The most common forms of spy cameras are motion detector cameras and smoke detector cameras.
It is comforting to know that with technology developing by the second, there are new and innovative ways for people to stay safe. You now have the ability to view your house while on vacation with PC wireless cameras, you can catch burglars in the act at night time with infrared cameras, and you can go covert opt with the latest spy cameras on the market.
Protect Your Family With Outdoor Surveillance Cameras
It might be that you want general coverage of your front garden. Do you want to catch criminals in the act or maybe just use it as a deterrent. If that is the case, then one camera might be enough. To accurately gauge how many cameras you need though, you need to carefully assess how much coverage you need, and that might need a trained and professional eye.
Surveillance camera system kits are usually packaged in sets of four cameras. If you own a relatively large house, then you would probably choose to cover the main access points, or perhaps where vehicles are located. However, bear in mind that most outdoor surveillance cameras have very wide angled lenses as each can cover quite a bit of ground.
As with most things in life, you can pay more and get more. Some of the most sophisticated surveillance cameras are heat sensitive. These allow the cameras to be heated or cooled to control condensation, to ensure near perfect visibility and recording in all weather conditions. It is essential that the camera you buy can work in the dark too, which should be a standard feature for an outdoor surveillance camera, but it is best to check.
If you buy a system kit then you should receive everything that you need. Try and ensure that the cameras you buy are not restricted to battery power, because these will only have a few hours of life. These are great if you need portable capability, but for normal home use, you need mains power.
Historically, most outdoor surveillance cameras recorded to VCR tape. These were the norm at the time, but were obviously restrictive to recording space. These days, you can record to DVD or to a computer, so you can capture pretty much everything overnight. Really clever units only record when they detect motion, so a DVD can last for a very long time.
One of the great advantages of using computers to monitor your outdoor surveillance cameras, is that the software can enable you to monitor your property whilst you are away. Despite the undoubted usefulness of this, be prepared to have your holidays interrupted whilst you study the film!
Illegal Hidden Spy Cameras & Surveillance Gadgets
On top of it all, violation of this is considered a felony.
Cellular and cordless telephone communications are protected under state law.A person is guilty of eavesdropping when he unlawfully engages in the following activities.
Wiretapping, which is defined as the intentional overhearing or recording of a telephonic or telegraphic communication, by a person other than the sender or receiver, without the consent of either the sender or receiver, by means of any instrument, device or equipment?
One New York court ruled that a mother who listened to her son's telephone conversation through an extension phone violated this provision of the statute because the son explicitly instructed his mother to stay off the extension phone during the conversation and there was no proof that the other conversation participants had consented to her listening. The fact that it was her phone, in her apartment, was irrelevant. "Mechanical overhearing of a conversation," meaning the intentional overhearing or recording of a conversation by a person not present, without the consent of at least one party to the conversation, by means of any instrument, device or equipment.In one case, the court ruled that the tape recording of conversations heard through a hole in the floor of an apartment did not violate this provision of the statute because the person doing the recording was "present" during the conversations and the conversations were "freely overheard." "Intercepting or accessing of an electronic communication," meaning the intentional acquiring, receiving, collecting, overhearing or recording of an electronic communication, without the consent of the sender or intended receiver, by means of any instrument, device or equipment. It is not a violation if the method of transmission is configured so that the communication is readily accessible to the general public.State courts have ruled that both cellular and cordless telephone communications are protected under the state statute.
Eavesdropping using various surveillance devices is a class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 or the amount of the defendant's monetary gain from the violation.
Possession of an eavesdropping surveillance device with intent to use it or allow it to be used in violation of the statute is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
Also illegal (as a class B misdemeanor) is the unauthorized acquisition of information from a telephone company relating to its wires, cables, terminals, and so forth or concerning records of communications passing over its lines. A class B misdemeanor is punishable by up to three months in prison and a fine of up to $500.
Regarding the use of police scanners, it is illegal for a person who is not a police officer or peace officer to equip a motor vehicle with a radio receiving set capable of receiving signals on the frequencies allocated for police use or to use a vehicle so equipped. Licensed amateur radio operators are exempt. Violation is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months imprisonment or both.
The New York statute does not specifically provide for civil damages for eavesdropping. It is not clear whether New York courts would allow a civil suit for a violation of the statute, given the state's traditional reluctance to recognize civil causes of action for invasion of privacy beyond narrow parameters.
So go ahead and buy those mini and hidden spy camera devices and don't worry about if they are legal or not. I use one every day to make sure my house is safe and no intruders approach and steal or vandalize.
Law Enforcement Surveillance Cameras
Whether events of September 11th, 2001 portend permanent or temporary changes in our nation, or around the world, local law enforcement organizations around the country know that a seismic event of some magnitude occurred which will affect the way we do things for years to come. Certainly the psyche of this and many other nations were impacted. Elections were influenced, relations between nations were altered, and normal international discourse was dramatically changed - maybe permanently.
While so much changed in the way we approached our daily lives, the most fundamental change may have taken place in the realm of security. “Business as usual" could no longer be tolerated at the local law enforcement level as a very real and visceral reality hit home - that some of the world’s most capable and redoubtable military powers could find themselves vulnerable to far less sophisticated, asymmetric threats which could kill thousands without firing a single round. Asymmetric warfare migrated from an intellectual exercise that planners in the Pentagon used to channel the directions of the Revolution in Military Affairs to one of practical consequence that seemed to throw all of the rules out the window.
When those two passenger jets slammed into the Twin Towers on 9/11 they had a galvanizing affect on how we conduct our day-to-day activities and challenged conventional wisdom about how we deal with potential threats. Probably nothing in our lives changed more visibly than the explosion in surveillance capabilities and the willingness, albeit with some degree of objection, to accept greater intrusiveness by governments as they sought to prevent even more cataclysmic events. Securing the general population became the mantra of governments and their leaders, and surveillance systems became a key means to achieve that security.
Yet the need to fill the apparent gap in government as well as private security architectures has not in all cases been met by a concomitant appropriate response from the commercial arena. Many companies rushed to fill the void without the commensurate experience needed to provide the right customer solutions. Company size, financial deep pockets, and an army of engineers by themselves mean little without a deep bench of experienced technocrats who have put years in the trenches of the surveillance industry and have lived the complex challenges this industry poses.
Towards that end, there are some necessary considerations when looking to acquire a surveillance system. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Surveillance systems are not simply cameras on a pole:
Potential users such as local law enforcement agencies need to understand the broader applications and uses of all of the components in an integrated, “total systems" approach. Certainly simple, and cost effective, wired CCTV solutions are a piece of the total solution. However, by themselves, they deprive a user of a complete solution – a fact that can go unnoticed until it is too late and a situation arises whereby more is needed.
2. Surveillance systems should be holistic in design and defined by the user’s specific needs and desired objectives:
There are a myriad of factors that influence what a potential user will require in a surveillance system. What is the objective or threat? Is it counter-drug, counter-terrorism, illegal immigration, criminal activity reduction, homicide reduction, etc? Can the requirement be met solely by copper or fiber optic solutions? Is there a wireless component? Is the solution a mix of overt and covert platforms? How can a new solution be coupled with the existing legacy system in place potentially saving the customer a lot? Is there an aerial component to the requirement? Are there low light camera needs? Is there a mobile requirement, a rapid deploy need? Is full frame rate video required? The answers to these questions will have a dramatic effect on what is needed, determine the priority of needed functionality, and temper how and when to acquire various components of the desired system. Moreover answering these questions ensures the practical and measured acquisition of a system commensurate with the fiscal resources available to the user.
3. Surveillance systems should be scalable: capable of starting small, able to grow in adaptable stages, and anchored to easy-to-use and robust video management software:
The term “system" should not be intimidating, for it can be something as little as a basic video sensor, a transmitter, a receiver, a couple of antennas, and a small box to view the video, control the sensor, and record the video. The components should be modularized in such a way that the ability to grow the system is seamless and rapidly expansible. Most importantly, the system should be manageable via software that is flexible, agnostic (i.e., is capable of integrating with a host of different sensors and video management components regardless of the brand name of each component), and able to be worked by the user out of the starting gate.
4. Surveillance systems are tough stuff:
It is not the size of a company that matters – it is experience! It’s not a company’s deep pockets that count, but rather its exhibited skills in what is an incredibly complex niche industry. Knowing how to integrate analogue with digital solutions, how to transmit large volumes of streaming video through different “pipes" for long distances, how to meld wired and wireless components, and do so in a reasonable time are not skills resident in a lot of companies even if they do advertise that is what they do. So “buyer beware!"
5. Surveillance systems are not cheap and they need care:
Sometimes, the hardest thing is to convince a user that they must protect their investment with an extended service agreement. But doing so is not only smart – it is essential. Systems should be made so they can be operated easily. But they are a product of advanced electronics, complex sensors, and complicated software and need a sustained service program to maintain one’s investment. This one element is the most overlooked yet most necessary element in any system.
Surveillance systems are here to stay. They are imbedded in much of the fabric of our every day life. You have seen vestiges of such systems in London, heard about efforts to man the U.S. border with them (although with mixed results to date), have seen them used as a means to bring down organized crime, and watched their proliferation throughout many of the major cities in the United States. There has been a lot of trial and error . . . a lot of successes and failures. But one conclusion is inescapable - - they are here to stay and will grow in size and scope and, as they do, so too will the number of providers who say they can produce the right solution. The five considerations mentioned above may help in providing the right solution for a city, company, or agency seeking to procure a system to meet its surveillance needs.
Hidden Spy Camera-the Purse Complete Surveillance System
The point is people are used to seeing them in all sorts of situations and places. They have a comfort level with seeing them. That is exactly what makes the purse hidden camera surveillance system so great. No one suspects what is going on.
That is one of the reasons why this hidden spy camera purse surveillance system may be the perfect undercover tool to catch the bad guys. When you use a hidden camera part you want to get someone doing something they shouldn't be doing. You don't need any undue distraction from objects that might cast suspicion.
This surveillance system comes with all sorts of enhancements. The biggest is it is available as a stand alone complete system which includes a self-contained rechargeable digital video recorder (DVR) and camera unit allowing you to spy and record at the same time.
It is powered by a 12 hour rechargeable battery pack, no wires or cords to plug in. It includes the pocket dvr and all necessary power supplies, cables and battery pack. The dvr can record as many as 400 minutes at 30 fps with motion detection and a time stamp.
When you are not sure what equipment to get to do the job, this system takes all the guesswork out of it. It is one of many complete systems that provide solutions for a wide variety of problems and applications from domestic use to business applications.
X vision is an option available that allows for images in almost complete darkness. This option is only available with a black and white camera
So when you need to find out what is going on when you are not around or when you need documentation for a domestic violence or harassment case this could be the tool for you.
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