This is the best summary I could come up with:
Fraser Sampson, who will end his term as the Home Office’s biometrics and surveillance commissioner this month, said there “isn’t much not being watched by somebody” in the UK and that the regulatory framework was “inconsistent, incomplete and in some areas incoherent”.
In 2012, the high court ordered police forces to destroy custody photographs of people who were never charged with a crime, including environmental activists, but Sampson said they had yet to be deleted, raising concerns that the images could be used for crowd surveillance by AI-assisted systems.
Sampson said the sheer weight of images captured by official cameras and those of the general public and shared online offered police forces a powerful tool in light of the advances in AI.
Last week the Guardian revealed that Hikvision, the Chinese surveillance manufacturer, was recommitting to the UK after receiving a clarification from the government that its cameras would be prohibited only from “sensitive” sites such as defence and intelligence facilities, despite an acknowledgment that the state-owned firm poses a security risk.
The spokesperson said: “During Prof Sampson’s tenure in office, Hikvision has met with dozens of UK government officials, members of parliament, and previous national biometric and security camera commissioners.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is committed to making sure the police have the tools and technology they need to solve and prevent crimes, bring offenders to justice, and keep people safe.
The original article contains 934 words, the summary contains 235 words. Saved 75%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Biohazard@feddit.uk 1 year ago
I hate it but the public want it. It’s looking over the garden fence, twitching curtian given HD cameras and a police budget. The public are idiots and will vote away their freedom so they can feel safe.
Dagwood222@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Watch a typical police show from 1990s and today. The modern cops routinely talk about how they have closed circuit footage of the suspect on pretty much any street.
Biohazard@feddit.uk 1 year ago
You are the suspect. The police are there for you, to suspect and investigate you.
echodot@feddit.uk 1 year ago
Well if the cops actually turned up when my house was broken into I wouldn’t have to have my own CCTV system. But they don’t, and it seems like a pretty inoffensive protection system.