By: Klinsa Kurien, Bureau Chief-ICN Kerala
As Jennifer Lopez once expressed, “doubt is a killer. You just have to know who you are and what you stand for”.
We call this age the New Millennium, the New Age, the Developed World, a Globalized existence and many other synonyms adorn this list. There have been remarkable achievements no doubt in every sphere and activity of man. Life is made easier, what with the advent of computer technology.
With everything at our hands in this e-world, people need not even step outside their homes to shop. E-Buying is a relatively recent spree that all indulge in particularly this festive season.
The most important gift for man among all the gifts that nature has bestowed is the gift of freedom. But just as every coin has two sides so also is this concept of the CCTV Camera. It has its cons.
Recently the Supreme Court supported the Bill on Privacy. Merely giving out one’s personal details may invite troubles later on. E-Crime is also on the rise. Hence, the bill is a boon to many who do not want to become the target for cheating or phishing.
But what alarms me is the idea of CCTV cameras being installed in apartments and small firms or areas.
A CCTV is no doubt only a monitoring camera which does its job of vigilance and watching over all the people and their activities. It is in fact more of a device which stalls people’s liberty to be their own self.
In other words one might get too conscious of himself/ herself while doing something (which may be right) as this device is glaring into their faces and actions. People are generally classified into good and bad. So also should this camera be focused on only the ‘bad’ people’s activities or the so called ‘suspects’.
The CCTV Camera’s direction should be panned in solely on the doubters and not only this CCTV Cameras should be present in a limited radius within private zones also as these are the places where crime happens due to lack of the camera’s coverage. These non-covered zones are converted into crime-prone places.
Vulnerable areas and people should be the target of the CCTV Camera, and not on all the common people. A technological function for limited surveillance should be installed in the camera.
There is always a person operating the camera, he is at a psychological disadvantage as his technological revenge and observation of the targeted person may continue in his personal life too. The camera operator would have an unceasing revenge for the person he/she is observant over.
People’s psychology is severely under the test when they pass these zones of the CCTV Cameras.
In small areas like apartments these cameras cause inconvenience as the inhabitants feel severely hypervigilant and lack the confidence to express their emotions openly. As Jennifer Lopez once expressed, “doubt is a killer. You just have to know who you are and what you stand for”.
