Safety or Freedom – Pick One
August 25, 2009 Leave a Comment
A couple of weeks ago, the Lancaster Community Safety Coalition started installing surveillance cameras at strategic locations throughout the city for the purpose of watching unscrupulous activity. There was an uproar then, as there is today, about whether the cameras violate citizen’s privacy rights. I stated at that time that although I’m concerned about the potential for abuse, I thought the benefits outweighed any downsides. My rationale was that the cameras are watching PUBLIC spaces, not PRIVATE bedrooms. When I walk downtown, I’m seen and watched be literally hundreds of people if I walk more than a block or two. What’s the difference if there is one more set of eyes peering at me?
