Cameras! Cameras!! Cameras!!! On the street, cameras.In the banking halls, cameras.At the ATM terminals, cameras. In the supermarket and groceries shops, cameras. Everywhere, cameras. Won't these people putting these cameras in place give us a breathing space? Would they not allow one a bit sense of privacy?Must people always know what one does anywhere in public? What cameras am I talking about? None other than the close circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

The CCTV cameras are almost everywhere in the public places. They vary in size and capacity but they perform the same function--capturing scenes and acts of people in the public. There are the pinhole cameras that are very small that you barely notice them where they are installed to monitor you. But that doesn't reduce their effectiveness. They perfectly capture and transmit video signals to recording systems. There are also larger outdoor cameras. Some of them are really sophisticated and powerful. Some can zoom and turn about capturing scenes from different directions.

With the CCTV systems almost ubiquitous, people react differently to their presence in the public. This is so because the CCTV systems are used for varied purposes. Some are used by governmental security outfits mainly for the purpose of maintaining security and law and order. Others are used by private organizations to monitor peoples use of their services or facilities.

But the CCTV systems can also be used negatively. In the past, there have been such negative and unscrupulous use of the system. One of such use is that of a resident of a house using a pinhole camera to record the sexual activities of a neighbouring couple. When one thinks also of the popular TV programme "cheaters", one quickly realize what CCTV coverage can do to personal privacy if used unscrupulously.If you are a sport follower, you cannot forget in a flash some expose the CCTV is capable of producing on sports men women fans and officials.The list is endless. With the foregoing, what are the people's reaction to the CCTV? Is the CCTV system a friend or foe, curse or blessing?

People's reaction vary. Some react negatively with reasons. A good number of them are concerned with personal privacy. They generally feel that CCTV cameras cause a kind of uneasiness. So they don't give the CCTV their approval.Other category of people fear what can result if video coverage of people gets into the hands of wrong people and perhaps ill-intentioned security operatives. They argue that such video coverage can be wrongly used.

On the other hand, many feel at ease with CCTV systems. They think CCTV can contribute to the general security of a place, city or state. Others feel good with CCTV because they employ it to monitor their business and they feel it is contributing positively to it.

Personally, I pitch my tent with the two groups of people. CCTV systems have both merits and demerits. If properly used CCTV systems can contribute to security of lives and property. For this reason one should always feel at ease under the coverage of CCTV cameras so long one does not perpetrate criminality.

But if the CCTV is negatively used against one, the effect can be dangerous to personal privacy and ones existence. Thus, in my own opinion, there should be stringent policy guiding the use of the CCTV systems so as to avoid unscrupulous use.Every CCTV installation should be registered with necessary authorities.This will ensure that individuals do not just decide to use it any way they want. And each person installing a system would be legally responsible for all video coverage obtained from it.

So my reader this blog continues on: http://cctvsystemsversusthepublic.blogspot.com/
Happy reading.