Intercepted video surveillance prevents child abuse
Read the full story here. Also check out this slightly related article on warspying which mentions that “[t]his kind of snooping doesn’t violate federal wiretap laws, which generally protect audio communication, but not video”.
Of course it’s undeniably a good thing to prevent child abuse by a foster mother, but this could make a case for people demanding stricter surveillance, perhaps even intruding our homes. It’s always difficult to balance privacy/personal freedom and security. I think what makes me feel uncomfortable about this story is that i’m not so sure on which side of the line i stay in this case…
Another thing that just dawned on me after re-reading the security focus article quoted above is that as i understand this statement it would be perfectly legal for the police to intercept the signal of all those surveillance cameras (ianal, so take this with a grain of salt; anyone with more expertise willing to comment?). Even though this is unlikely i can imagine police officers or neighborhood watch-weirdos sitting in the basement in the evening, spying on their neighbors. (via smart mobs)