More Cities Deploy Camera Surveillance Systems with Federal Grant Money President Bush's proposed $2.57 trillion federal budget for Fiscal Year 2006 greatly increases the amount of money spent on surveillance technology and programs while cutting about 150 programs�most of them from the Department of Education. EPIC's "Spotlight on Surveillance" project scrutinizes these surveillance programs.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested more than $2 billion to finance grants to state and local governments for homeland security needs.1 Some of this money is being used by state and local governments to create networks of surveillance cameras to watch over the public in the streets, shopping centers, at airports and more.2 However, studies have found that such surveillance systems have little effect on crime, and that it is more effective to place more officers on the streets and improve lighting in high-crime areas.3 There are significant concerns about citizens� privacy rights and misuse or abuse of the system. A professor at the University of Nevada at Reno has alleged that the university used a homeland security camera system to surreptitiously watch him after he filed a complaint alleging that the university abused its research animals.4 Also, British studies have found there is a significant danger of racial discrimination and stereotyping by those monitoring the cameras.5 < snip > http://www.epic.org/privacy/surveillance/spotlight/0505.html You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. Visit www.infowarrior.org for list information or to unsubscribe. This message may be redistributed freely in its entirety. Any and all copyrights appearing in list messages are maintained by their respective owners.
