WHY IS IT WATCHING YOU?

 

Back in the day, CCTV surveillance came in two flavors. There was the kind that kept you safe—it watched you in parking garages, banks, and empty streets. The hope of those cameras was that their presence would frighten away criminals. The promise was that, even if the criminals still came, they would be seen and caught. Then there was the other kind, which watched the perimeters of places where barbed wire and dogs weren’t enough. Antsy soldiers and armed guards watched the feeds from these cameras waiting for someone who needed shooting to wander into their field of vision.

Those two types of camera still exist, but far more prevalent in the realm of security cameras these days is the one that is watching you for any sign of mischief. These are the video camera equivalent of the horrible old lady in your neighborhood who used to scream at you from her porch. She was never sure what you were up to, but she was certain it was naughty, whatever it was. The assumption behind the installation of most security cameras nowadays is that everyone is out to rip someone off; that, by and large, society is just a collection of savage beasts held barely in check by the threat of punishment. Without constant video surveillance, civilization would collapse in an orgy of pilfered candy bars and stolen underwear.

And then, of course, there’s the profit motive. Private citizens record everything because they believe they have something to gain. Catch something funny enough on your phone, and you just might end up with a bit part in the next Zach Galifianakis movie. Post the right kind of hilarity on Funnyordie and you stand to make thousands. At the very least, people might bookmark your YouTube channel. Internet fame isn’t much, but it’s enough that most people witnessing a car accident will think to videotape first and help second.