[Infowarrior] - UK has 1 surveillance camera for every 14 people

[Richard Forno]

 Britain becoming a Big Brother society, says data watchdog
By Sophie Goodchild
Published: 29 April 2007

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2494230.ece

Britain is in danger of "committing slow social suicide" as such Big Brother
techniques as surveillance cameras and recording equipment spread into every
aspect of our lives, the nation's information watchdog will warn this week.

A new report from Richard Thomas, the information commissioner, will say
that the public needs to be made more aware of the "creeping encroachment"
on civil liberties created by email monitoring, CCTV and computer tracking
of our buying habits.

It is understood that one of the concerns in Mr Thomas's report is the use
of special listening devices which can be placed in lamp posts, street
furniture and offices. These are already widely used in the Netherlands to
combat crime and anti-social behaviour.

More than 300 of the cameras with built-in microphones have been fitted in
benefit offices and city centres. The equipment can pick up aggressive tones
on the basis of decibel level, pitch and speed at which words are spoken.

Westminster council has already started piloting the listening devices, but
experts say the use of these microphones raises questions about how
surveillance can be used to intrude into the private lives of citizens.

He will also call for greater regulation of companies that supply
surveillance technology which provides "convenience or safety for the more
affluent majority", but not for the vulnerable such as children, immigrants
and the elderly.

His warning comes as MPs launch their first inquiry into the impact of
surveillance in Britain. The Home Affairs Select Committee will investigate
the use of video cameras to monitor high streets and residential areas as
well as the holding of personal information on both government and
commercial databases.

On Tuesday, Mr Thomas, who last year warned that Britain was "sleepwalking
into a surveillance society", will tell the committee at its first hearing
that new safeguards must be introduced to protect the public from the
increasing intrusion of surveillance into their daily lives.

Civil liberty campaigners have already warned that Britain is becoming a Big
Brother society where its citizens are increasingly being watched. There are
more than four million CCTV cameras in this country, one for every 14
people, and the national DNA database which was set up by police to combat
crime now holds 3.5 million profiles.