Is electronic surveilance Normal? Part two
There is a report that there are at least 265,000 surveillance cameras in Beiging alone. China Daily reports that “from recent reports, many cities in China have established extensive surveillance systems with the help of the latest technology including the Internet and satellite.”
photo by Gary D. Brune copyright 2008
One of four of what appeasr to be surveillance cameras at the intersection of Second and Normal in Chico perches atop the streetlight.
This sounds familiar, doesn't it? I wouldn't be surprised if the cameras depicted in this essay were made in China
While the media reports about searches of personal records, phones, e-mails,and surveillance cameras in this country, we don't seem to have a problem. The Constitution decreed that a citizen shall be secure in their person and papers against unreasonable searches and seizures, and in order for the state to execute a search, their officials must go to a judge and indicate they have a justifiable belief concerning a crime.
What we deal with here is one of the Constitutional conflicts brought about both by the events of September 11, 2001, and the progress of our silicon society. It is time that the courts use their supervisory responsibility and make sure these procedures pass constitutional muster. It isn't just the safety of our citizens at stake, but the safety of our Constitution.
These procedures are using the Napoleonic Code in practice, whereby a person is guilty until proven innocent. The FBI, Bush Administration and its agents, and even the National Football league do not have the right to search me without a warrant. This procedure needs to go to the United States Supreme Court for a final ruling on its constitutionality.