To the editor:
I am disappointed with the lack of criticism roused by the recent call for video cameras and “transit cops” on Metro Transit, after a Metro Transit employee was groped by a passenger. Our privacy in public continues to be infringed upon while our skepticism of such infringements seems to be decreasing at an alarming rate.
While security cameras may deter some from committing crimes and help identify individuals after a crime, there are other options which would not require surveillance equipment and the hire of “transit cops.”
Many European transit employees operate transit vehicles from behind a closed door. Transfers and tickets are dispensed and validated by machines or slid through a window. During emergencies, drivers can push a panic button and wait for transit security. While I assume most Metro Transit employees shudder at the thought of being locked behind a door, I shudder at the thought of being under surveillance every time I ride the bus. This is one comfort I am not willing to negotiate on in the name of fear.
The safety of transit employees is definitely a priority. However, I do not think their safety takes priority over our privacy, especially when there are other options that could be explored to protect the safety of drivers and privacy of passengers. The truth of the matter is that there is no ready-made, fail-safe solution. There are ways to trick cameras and ways to evade “transit cops.” What must be considered is whether fears generated from a few random acts of violence warrant the surveillance measures being proposed.
Metro Transit passengers are paying customers and Metro Transit employees are paid to provide a service. As paying customers, we should have a say in this matter. Reports state that Metro Transit “will” be installing cameras on buses and that surveillance equipment is already being purchased. Who’s paying for this infringement of privacy? We are. It’s time to speak up before we lose another battle for the privacy of the masses over the fears of a few.
Keep this issue in mind as we’re bombarded with horror stories from the Greyhound bus attack in Winnipeg. Would cameras or “transit cops” have prevented this tragedy? Not likely. Crime happens and the harsh reality is that people are not in a rational state of mind when they act violently. Fear is a dangerous thing and we’ll be its victim if we do not question what we’re being asked to be afraid of.
By —Cheryl Watts
This article appears in Aug 14-20, 2008.
Cheryl thinks the cameras will invade her privacy, boo hoo! Does she bitch and moan everytime she walks into a corner store or major retailer just because cameras are everywhere? Cheryl – cameras aboard buses will help in identifying those involved in criminal acts against drivers and passengers, everything from assaults to pickpockets. I don’t understand how you can be so concerned about cameras when they might help your fellow passengers in the event of illegal activities.Your concerns are unfounded, please see your psychiatrist for help with your paranoia.
“Not staying in the closet” should change his name to “I wish I lived in a police state”. Yeay!! You love to be on camera. Good for you!! You probably auditioned to be on Big Brother too. Truth is that I bitch and moan whenever I feel like my freedoms are being taken away and more people should (thus my letter). You have obviously bought into the terrorism garbage being fed to you by U.S. media and it’s a goddamn shame “not staying in the closet” because you are now living in a closet of fear. As the electronic eye in the sky grows, the average citizen in London, England can expect to be monitored about 300 times a day. As we continue toward this trend, fighting fear one camera at a time, Canadadian citizens will soon be subject to the same public scrutinization. And while you might feel a little bit of security in hoping these cameras might help to catch a few petty criminals and save you from having to get involved yourself, you might want to start getting concerned about the ways in which such surveillance videos are being stored and used. This is not paranoia… this is reality. We are dangerously close to becoming a Big Brother society. I think you might need to visit a psychiatrist if you find the idea of establishing a database that will record ordinary people’s journeys and whereabouts normal and unproblematic. I find it offensive (Boo-hoo!) that you mistake my concern for your freedom and privacy as paranoia. Especially since it is your paranoia and the paranoia of others like you (who feel that you need cameras around to allow you to come out of your closets) that are responsible for taking freedom and privacy away from socially conscious citizens like myself (who do not need cameras around to feel safe amongst our fellow citizens). The closed-circuit camera industry is now a $1 billion-a-year business, and you my friend have bought into the biggest sales pitch since 9-11… FEAR. I wouldn’t hold your breath for the closed-circuit camera industry to thank you for your unfounded support with a big juicy commission cheque, but I would like to thank you personally for presenting the other side of the argument so other readers can see how narrow-minded and fear-fueled it really is. Thaks again for reinforcing my point!
Critically Inclined, you missed the point. Footage on buses is usually held on a hardrive and not accessed by anyone except in case of an event. Even if transit could watch live footage they wouldn’t have the manpower to watch over 200 buses every minute of the day. Same goes for the archived footage, it’ll get written over instead of being viewed when no incidents warrant watching it have occured.That being said, I have no problem with a video system in public places. I’d much rather they (cops or other authorities) have access to real pictures instead of depending on witness descriptions when crimes occur. People not doing anything illegal and being filmed have nothing to fear. Its the criminals and paranoid folks who hate the technology.
I’m sorry Not Staying in the Closet. I didn’t realize you had the inside scoop on how Metro Transit plans to manage the collection, surveillance, storage and destruction of its public video surveillance information. I think you missed my point. Metro Transit has not to-date offered the public, their paying customers, information on the privacy concerns associated with public video surveillance. While you may find it safe to assume that procedure you have outlined will be followed, the development of specialized computer software and online data storage networks, combined with the introduction of so-called “Lawful Access” legislation and technologies like radio frequency cards (which can contain biometric identifiers such as DNA markers, eyeprints and fingerprints) creates new potential for video surveillance that could go beyond the original intended purposes. Such risks are increased when combined with fears of national and international security. Have you ever heard of Echelon? I digress. I think you are naive to think that such technologies will only affect people engaged in illegal activities. I’m sure Rita MacNeil didn’t consider herself a threat to national security when she was singing and speaking out about women’s rights in the 70s, but now she knows otherwise. It’s true, however, that if you are in the middle class and avoid community involvement and political dissent, you will likely have nothing to fear… except for the loss of your civil liberties, as guaranteed under our Constitution and our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And forget if you decide to stand up for those rights… you just might get yourself targeted a national security threat.Most Canadians would not tolerate this invasion of privacy if they had full access or awareness of what is really going on. So long as police and national security officials are able to lawfully or unlawfully gain access to public video surveillance, no one, not even “People not doing anything illegal” will be protected from this infringement of privacy. Metro Transit is not a private business, it is a governmental entity and despite the fact that you feel safe to assume that there is no right to privacy in public spaces Not Staying in the Closet, there are federal and provincial privacy laws, however grey they may be, which limit the right of governmental entities to engage in public video surveillance. It is frightening to think that to-date no court has ruled on the legality of public video surveillance in Canada. Yet that has not stopped public video-surveillance from being used in Canada for law enforcement purposes, which means that there are even more grey areas surrounding the collection, use and disclosure of public video surveillance information. I think it is safe to assume that you, Not Staying in the Closet, do not fear becoming the subject of racial profiling, having your image used for entertainment or journalistic purposes, or being investigated as a threat of national security issues (such as women’s rights), but that doesn’t mean that others shouldn’t be skeptical of such technologies and their potential uses. Believe it or not, even innocent you could someday find yourself subject to suspicion-by-association or guilt by misidentification and subject to an investigation that you may or may not know about for some thirty years after the fact (I feel for you Rita, I really do). It’s time to wake up and smell the maple burning Not Staying in the Closet. Get informed, get concerned, and for the sake of the rest of us, get out of the damn closet!!! Your blissful ignorance and unopposed compliance is a threat to the rest of us.
I’ll say it again CI – you are paranoid.Metro Transit won’t be the first bus system to use cameras to provide video evidence of crimes committed against drivers and passengers. The cameras could also provide you with protection in the event of a slip and fall (or other )incident and show negligence by the folks at transit, city snow crews, etc. I’ll assume you’ve never been near city hall, most retail stores or even down Spring Garden Rd. or you’d have noticed you are on camera almost until you walk into your residence. Perhaps you’ve lived in an apartment building having a lobby or elevator security camera. When used properly these systems provide for hard evidence when a crime or incident is recorded and could be what closes a file.I just travelled through Montreal’s Trudeau Airport and was noticing the cameras all through the airport then counted six (6) cameras aboard their parking lot transit buses then eventually boarded the bus and subway system that is covered by cameras. Did I get all paranoid?? No. Did I see drivers or passengers getting assaulted like in Halifax? No. But at least there is video footage that I could use in the event of being assaulted, robbed or even treated rudely by a driver. The cameras are here and most owners are responsable users of whatever gets recorded. No need to paint everyone with the brush loaded with paranoia. But I have to ask, did you ever call, write or email the folks at HRM and Metro Transit to voice your concerns or is it easier to hide behind a computer and spew unfounded concerns?
Okay NSITC, if Paranoia is an unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others and paranoid individuals constantly suspect the motives of those around them, and believe that certain individuals, or people in general, are “out to get them” then it is you NSITC who is paranoid. It is you who feels like you need a camera around you all the time to protect you from all of those people out there who are out to get you. Obviously we don’t need hard evidence to see that you are a firm believer that everyone in a position of authority is out to serve and protect your best interest. What’s that smell NSITC? Maple flavored BS! You trust your police and government more than you trust the people in your community. That really sucks. I trust my neighbours and I feel safe without cameras around… that doesn’t sound like a paranoid individual to me.You sound like a broken record…blah blah blah…cameras are good…blah blah blah…I love being watched…blah blah blah…I feel safe when cameras around…blah blah blah…you’re paranoid because you don’t like living in a Big Brother world. We hear you loud and clear NSITC. But just because you buy into the post- 9-11 hype doesn’t mean that my concerns are unfounded or that I don’t have a right to privacy. Furthermore, I would rather come across as paranoid than ignorant. Maybe you should spend more time doing research into this subject rather than spouting opinions out of your ass. Who are you to assume that “most owners are responsible users of whatever gets recorded”? I base my statements on facts, not on assumptions. And might I remind you that assumptions are often the unfounded basis from which paranoia stems. Do the research before you waste our time with another spin of the record there NSITC. And might I suggest to start with academic sources instead of your experience at Montreal’s Trudeau Airport. If you really think it your business to know, I am an educated, informed and concerned individual who is actively involved in my community both locally and globally. I hardly think that qualifies me as one who finds it easy or desirable to hide behind a computer. I think you should clean out your own closet before you come peeking into mine. When was the last time you got actively involved in something more than spewing unfounded rebuttals in the Coast? And don’t you hide behind a computer to do that? Right… so check your facts next time NSITC and spare us your naïve comments. Unfortunately… you might have to come out of your closet to do that. Boo-hoo!P.S. See you on the bus!