Video Surveillance In Public Places: Good Or Bad?

Today, many major cities have video cameras all over the place. Is this video surveillance in public places good or bad? The topic is the subject of heated debate.

What the discussion comes down to is the reconciliation between personal privacy and public safety.

As far as privacy goes, this is obvious: no one wants to be recorded without their knowledge or permission. It’s just uncomfortable to think about being watched; it’s inherently disconcerting. This is such a fundamental issue in the US that our Constitution specifically addresses citizens’ right to privacy as a core issue.

On the other hand, safety is a genuine concern to be taken into account. A crime can occur anywhere, and if you or someone you care about were the victim of a crime, you would be relieved and thankful to know that the perpetrator could be identified through city cams. In addition, cams are sometimes used to monitor teens hanging out skateboarding, homeless people, gang activity and anything else that

And then there is the argument that perhaps certain crimes might even be prevented by security cameras and lights. There is evidence that suggest that this kind of prevention does occur, but it is not without exception. (Think about all of the robberies you have seen on news broadcasts that were caught on tape by security cameras! Didn’t stop those guys, did it?)

It’s a sad world, and crime is real. So how do we find a middle ground between privacy and safety? What is the solution? Unfortunately, it’s a classic catch 22. There is no end-all solution for this dilemma. You simply can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were such a society where crime did not even occur? Especially crimes that endangered the very livelihood and well-being of the citizens! However, we all know that such a society does not exist, except maybe in Heaven. Until then, we’ve had to sacrifice some luxuries like personal privacy for the greater good of our public. Is anyone thrilled that this sacrifice is needed? No.

The question is where you draw the line. It was recently announced in the news that phone companies like AT&T are allowing the government to access and monitor people’s telephone calls, under the rationale of homeland security. Many people find this to be an outrage! It sounds very similar to things that have broken apart the government from their citizens in communist countries under dictatorships!

Another privacy issue is internet privacy. Your internet behavior, whether you like it or not, is being tracked not only by webmasters, but also by hackers, internet service providers, the government, and potentially other citizens. That's right, average citizens can pay certain companies to get personal info about you, such as email address, location, and more.

And let’s not forget aerial views of city streets which are now easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection. That’s right, just by going to Google maps or Mapquest, anyone can view your street and even see your driveway and yard (a time delayed satellite picture). Is that frightening or what?

It’s sort of fascinating (yet very terrifying) that many of the doomsday views of sci-fi movies anywhere from 10 to 50 years ago (such as “Enemy of the State” and (1984”) are coming true as the future goes on. With all technologies come good and bad aspects. And video surveillance in cities is no exception to that.

How To Buy A Video Surveillance Camera.

Protecting your home is possible, and the best way to start is to purchase a home surveillance camera. To avoid wasting money on something you do not need, get the rundown of the common types available.
If your goal is to make your house a bit safer, a home surveillance camera could be a great investment. Most people know little about security, and since some cameras can cost quite a bit depending on the features they come with, you should do some research before buying anything. Knowing the different types available is a start.
If you want to protect your property from intruders, you will need an outdoor home surveillance camera. This is typically mounted outside your front door, or perhaps in front of the garage. This kind is usually visible to others as a warning that anyone who attempts to break in will be recorded, making them more likely to be caught. You might choose to watch the videos in real time from a computer or television, or you could record them only to watch if something suspicious occurs.
Outdoor cameras often have several features that either come with them or can be added on. For example, you can get cameras that are weatherproof so that they are protected in case of extreme weather conditions. Some are also vandal proof, which typically involves a tough casing in case intruders try to compromise the piece of equipment. Additionally, you should consider the outdoor kind of home surveillance camera that has night vision to see well when it is dark, and long range vision, which allows it to see several feet away.
Some families employ nannies or other people who work inside the house while the homeowner is not there. If this describes you, and you either suspect something is wrong, or you want to ensure that your children are safe with their caretaker, an indoor home surveillance camera is best. This is typically hidden, and as such, it can either be very small or put somewhere that people would not think to look.
Teddy bears and other child items are common places to put hidden cameras, but if you want to get creative, you can get pens, clocks, radios, and even fake fire alarms that feature tiny cameras.
Protecting your property is not always easy, but it does usually start with a home surveillance camera. If you want get the most for your money, you will do some research before purchasing security products. You will want to make sure your selection will work like it is supposed to, and is the best kind for you given your expectations.

How To Design A Modern Video Surveillance System For Home – Video Camera Surveillance Software

When you’re looking for the absolute best way to secure your home and/or business using home security cameras, then you have arrived at the right place. Increasingly, business and home owners are beginning to realize that their home or business is worth more when adequately protected. And home owners are increasingly taking the matters in their own hands, helped by the technology advances. In this article, we’ll offer a couple of best possible components to build a home or business security system with. A system including video camera surveillance software that’s robust and failure proof. A system that offers the best possible protection.
We’ll argue that breaking the system down into independent components connected with a IP, internet protocol, network is the way to go. In this article, we’ll briefly describe 3 ways of building such interconnected home security system. The 3 ways are: A dedicated PC based system, a NAS based system, and a DVR based system.
A dedicated PC based system
Although you could base your home security system on a home PC, we can only recommend doing so if you have prior computer hardware experience and decide that this will be a dedicated PC system. Why? There are too many interactions between softwares that reside on a computer these days that it’s unclear that a multi-user PC can handle the requirement of robustness and sufficient uptime for it to be a reliable component in the permanent home security system.
As long as you’re dedicating a whole PC to the task, and the PC has sufficient disk space, memory, and computing horse power, then, yes, by all means it can be the centerpiece of your home security system.
A DVR based system
A DVR, or a Digital Video Recorder, is basically a PC, with a well-chosen operating system and components that will work well together as a center piece of your home security system. Just attach the cameras, cables, and a flat screen monitor, fire up the software, and you’re in business, and your home is protected. At this time this is probably the best option, yet the most costly.
A NAS based security system
NAS, or Network Attached Storage, is a way for a home to use the high disk capacity with all the computers on the network, including the security computers and cameras. You can think of NAS as a dedicated storage computer that’s always on, always connected, and always ready to serve data, or receive data for storing. With a reliable NAS system in place, you can even bypass a PC, or a DVR for your security camera video recording purposes, thus eliminating one possible point of failure in the chain. The way to do it’s to acquire a smart network video security camera with the “on camera” software that can communicate directly with the NAS unit, completely bypassing the PC or the DVR. Then, the PC or the DVR is only used as a means of displaying the footage stored on your NAS system, as well as possibly interacting with and controlling the camera.
The PC becomes no different from an iPhone or a smart phone in that regard. Over a secure internet connection, one can access the home NAS server and the home video cameras from any device that has video camera surveillance software installed, be it an iPhone or a smart phone, a laptop, a netbook. You can be retrieving data, and controlling the cameras from anywhere with any of these devices.
Sure, different approaches require different CCTV softwares. To find out about some of such softwares, you can check out either the surveillance camera software site or the network camera software site, where you’ll find products that will work either with dedicated PCs, with the security DVRs, and with the home NAS systems.