In this paper, I explain what Big brother is and the advantages and disadvantages of it. Furthermore, I elaborate further on public surveillance and automated face recognition systems. I also find out how that has made our lives safer, I also check the number of cctv cameras in the uk and how they have helped reduce crimes. I find sources which support my claim that big brother is indeed watching but if you don’t have anything to hide it shouldn’t be an issue.

Introduction

Have you ever had the feeling that you’re being watched? Well you are! By the government. The Government have installed CCTV cameras on every street, mall, bus, airport etc. to prevent crime and apprehend lawbreakers in the process. These cctv cameras transmit live signals to television monitors at police stations all over the country. Over the years, public safety has relied in the hands of the government. The Government then introduced the cctv camera to help reduce the crimes in the country. CCTV also known as Closed Circuit Television was introduced in the late 90s but became widespread in the mid-2000s. In the United Kingdom alone there are almost 6 million cctv cameras in the country and out of that number, 750,000 are strategically place in places like schools, hospitals, banks, airports etc. After cctv was introduced to the public eye, another form of security measure was introduced again this time in the form of a facial recognition system. This was first introduced during the mid-1960’s by a pioneer of artificial intelligence Wilson Bledsoe. This was created to identify people based on their facial features i.e. mostly the width of their mouths or the width between their eyes. Additionally, Facial recognition has advanced over the years especially after the 9/11 events which happened in the United States of America.

Public Surveillance

Public surveillance can be described simply as the collection, analysis and recording of data by the use of the cctv cameras. cctv cameras are becoming normal thing to see in the developing countries, this mainly is as a result of fears of terrorism and other forms of crimes like theft. Even though cctv cameras have helped cities stay safe, they also have their pros and cons. CCTV cameras were made popular after the 9/11 tragedy which happened in the United States of America. Authorities were left crippled with no method of identifying their perpetrators. They even became widespread after the 7th July bombings in the United Kingdom. After all those incidents, cctvs were introduced everywhere, from public transports to shopping centres. It has been statistically proven that crimes have reduced due to the introduction of cameras in shops, streets and most importantly airports. Criminals have been caught red handed by evidence provided by the cctv cameras, with the facial recognition system being integrated to some cctv units, criminals are easily identified and stopped in their tracks before they do something irrational. Without the footage from the cameras it could be re