Surveillance, Security, and Privacy

  Name
Institution of affiliation
Surveillance, Security, and Privacy
1 Definition of Surveillance
Psychologists have noted that observation can alter human behavior. For this reason, governments, public, and private institutions have tapped into this concept to create a safe and crime-free environment using surveillance. The term surveillance refers to the process of carefully observing individuals in the area, especially the suspects of criminal activities using carefully placed cameras and recording devices. The surveillance camera is used the modern society to reduce the workload and increase efficiency. They also help in deterring the potential perpetrators from committing their crimes and in alerting police in dangerous situations. In addition, the cameras are used to obtain evidence that can be used to charge offenders in the court of law.
The reason why this definition of surveillance resonates most with me is that it fits the modern way of observing individuals, especially in public places. Unlike traditional monitoring, which required the presence of human observers in the watchtowers, advanced surveillance uses cameras and devices to store and monitor in real-time and also save all the recordings for future references and analysis. It also outlines the main aim of surveillance, which is to identify the potential offenders and alert the authorities.
Another aspect of surveillance identified in that definition is its ability to reduce crime rates in certain areas and eradicate them. For instance, in 2005, surveillance cameras were installed in the crime-prone regions in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, and by 2008 the rate of crime dropped by more than 30 cases per month (Nancy et al., 2011). This indicates the drastic changes caused by surveillance.
2 Security versus Privacy Issues of Surveillance
Social surveillance has immense security benefits but breaches the privacy of individuals under observation. Like any other system, it comes with both advantages and some disadvantages.
Spreading surveillance cameras in different streets of cities and suburban centers can help in drastically reduce the causes of crime in those areas. If used correctly, these surveillance cameras can almost entirely reduce crime all over the globe. Perpetrators act differently under the cameras. In case they commit their crimes, the police get information in time and reach these people before they escape. The surveillance recording can be stored appropriately as encrypted data and can later be used as evidence to charge the criminal in the court of law (Armstrong, 2019). For these reasons, some individuals with bad intentions may avoid crime for fear of being punished after the later discovery of their crimes.
Surveillance makes the process of investigating a crime straightforward. Since the recordings show the perpetrators' actions, complex investigations won't be required by the police. This will help the security department can also ...