Even the legal use of cameras for monitoring everything from traffic to crime poses thorny problems the nation is only beginning to deal with. Zoom lenses mean stationary police cameras in neighborhoods can see inside cars a half-block away and more bringing a whole new meaning to the role of street cop. So even if it's in a public area, you can surveil private activities. Slobogin helped write a set of American Bar Association standards for police use of video surveillance last year. The voluntary standards, among other things, urge public discussion when police decide to watch.
Concerns go far beyond just talking about the watching there are legitimate access issues.
Videotapes taken by public agencies and retained could be considered public records, available to anyone who asks. Under watchful eyes But it is far more than just the government watching anymore. Cameras stare at you when you buy a doughnut at every 7-Eleven convenience store, when you make a withdrawal from your bank or meander the aisles of a department store. The eye of an ATM catches you walking down the street. And the number of cameras is only growing.