[Infowarrior] - NY Post: You're on Camera, New York!

[Richard Forno]

 New York Post

THERE'S NO HIDING FROM THE TRUTH - YOU'RE ON CAMERA!

By SAMUEL GOLDSMITH

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October 15, 2007 -- Mayor Bloomberg has said New Yorkers must face the fact
that they're being watched by security cameras all the time.

He isn't kidding.

It's not just the Police Department and MTA watching them. Countless private
security cameras eye the city at all times - and some are broadcast to the
masses.

A Post reporter walking in Times Square was captured by at least 54 outdoor
surveillance cameras in just eight blocks. From 42nd Street to 49th Street,
there are cameras on top of buildings, embedded into walls, on top of street
poles and tucked under awnings - and that's just the cameras visible to the
naked eye.

Four of the cameras are operated by the Web-cam network EarthCam.com, which
streams live camera feeds on its Web site for the whole world to see. At any
moment, people can tune in to those cameras and dozens of others around the
city and get immediate imagery.

"Hidden cameras enhance people's safety," said Brian Cury, founder of
EarthCam. "It's a way to share information and make people's lives better."

EarthCam has dozens of cameras in New York for both public use via the Web
site and private use for companies. The site boasts the biggest network of
Web cams in the world.

During Bloomberg's recent trip to London, where the mayor scoped out the
city's massive surveillance-camera system known as the "Ring of Steel,"
Hizzoner said, "In this day and age, if you think that cameras aren't
watching you all the time, you are very naive."

VIDEO: Watch Bloomberg's London statement

Bloomberg wants to follow the model in London and dramatically increase the
number of cameras in New York City. The city is already beefing up its
surveillance in various places.

The MTA is in the process of expanding its security system by installing
cameras in 400 city buses, as well as what they call "passenger
identification systems" in one-third of the city's subway stations.

These systems record images of everyone who passes through a turnstile or
entrance gate. To date, 69 stations have passenger-identification systems,
using more than 1,600 cameras, according the MTA, and they already share
that footage with the NYPD.

"The reality is, it's a valid way to monitor people," Cury said. "Cameras
can't stop somebody from doing something horrible, but they can go back and
find out what happened for evidence."

Not everyone agrees, however. When shown live pictures of themselves on
EarthCam Mobile, a Web site that gives access to Web cams on cellphones,
some people in Times Square felt that Big Brother was breathing down their
necks.

"I never stopped to think that this technology is so accessible," said Tonya
Heupal. "Now I feel like I can't take a step without someone looking over my
shoulder."

Her husband, Robert Heupal, was flat-out mad.

"This is outrageous," he said. "I'm not an enemy combatant, so why am I
under surveillance?"

But Cury said New York City has far fewer surveillance cameras than
comparable-sized cities. London has an estimated 10 times more cameras than
New York - upward of 2 million.

"New York is the biggest city in the world with so few cameras," he said.

"The reality is they were able to catch terrorists in London because of the
security cameras," Cury said. "I don't think anyone can argue that it's a
negative use of camera technology."

Cury's Web cams in Times Square weren't capturing any suspicious activity
over the weekend, but they did find Alberto Torres, 26, who is visiting from
Barcelona, Spain. Torres was waving at an EarthCam camera on 46th Street and
talking on his cellphone to his girlfriend back home.

"She could see me here in New York City," said Torres. "I don't think it's a
bad thing. I think it's great."

samuel.goldsmith at nypost.com