摄像头时代的是与非
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批评监控措施的人认为，事后的摄像机辅助调查和抓捕行动并不能预防恐怖主义行为。纽约市前市长鲁迪•朱利安尼曾经声称，伦敦的监控体系可与“好莱坞影城”相媲美，2005年7月7日伦敦发生系列爆炸案，无所不在的摄像机发挥了重要的作用，帮助警方迅速确认了自杀式袭击者。可悲的是，这些都是爆炸发生之后的事情。 “波士顿爆炸案基本上证实了我们已经知道的一个事实，”美国公民自由联盟隐私与技术项目（Privacy & Technology Project）总监本•维兹奈尔说。“那就是，这些摄像头虽然是非常有效的破案手段，但是根本无法预防和震慑严重犯罪行为。” “少数派报告” 监控措施的支持者指出，技术的进步足以证明，终有一天，摄像头将发挥增强应对机制，协助预防犯罪的作用。视频监控领域的领导者，比如洛克希德•马丁公司（Lockheed Martin）和诺斯罗普•格鲁曼公司（Northrop Grumman），正在实现从模拟到数字的产业转移，开始研发犹如科幻小说一般的智能摄像头。 监控的未来在于“视频分析”——计算机将自动分析摄像讯息，从而能够计算人口数量、记录温度变化，还能够通过统计算法，识别可疑行为。这套体系并不需要技术人员。直到目前为止，监控效果还一直受到人为因素的限制：要想让监控体系及时发挥作用，就必须有人密切留意所有的闭路电视镜头。 而且，相关的需求正在不断增长。根据市场调研网站ReportsNReports的分析估计，2012年，智能监控和视频分析设备的全球市场规模已经高达135亿美元，预计到2020年将达到390亿美元。 过去，视频分析的功能被夸大了。然而，城市监控体系似乎将不可避免地迈入越来越精密，越来越集中的发展阶段。 估计公众也不会强烈反对。尽管美国人非常厌恶在国内使用无人驾驶飞行器从事监控活动，但他们似乎并不太介意摄像头。毕竟，美军远赴世界的另一头消灭外敌的时候，美军一直没有高调地用过摄像头。而在美国国内使用无人驾驶飞行器则不免让人觉得，政府正在把枪口对着自己的同胞。但摄像头是可以使用的，因为它们平淡无奇，不那么引人注目。 实际上，成千上万的摄像头已经对准了我们。而且，它们的数量还会持续增加。（财富中文网） 译者：任文科 |
According to critics of surveillance, cameras aid investigation and apprehension in the aftermath, not the prevention, of acts of terrorism. In London, which Rudy Giuliani called the "Hollywood studio" of surveillance, cameras played an instrumental role in quickly identifying the 7/7 bombers. Sadly, it was only after the fact. "What we saw in Boston largely confirmed what we already knew," said Ben Wizner, Director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project. "Cameras are ineffective at the prevention and deterrence of serious crime. They can be very effective at solving crime." 'Minority Report,' here we come Advocates of surveillance point to advancements in technology as proof that cameras will, in the future, enhance response and assist prevention. Leaders of video surveillance -- companies like Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Northrop Grumman (NOC) -- are shifting the industry from analog to digital, and into the uncanny, science-fiction realm of smart cameras. The future of surveillance is "video analytics," where computers will automatically analyze camera feeds to count people, register temperature changes, and, via statistical algorithms, identify suspicious behavior. No technicians required. Up to this point, surveillance has been limited by personnel: for surveillance to be useful in real-time, someone has to keep an eye on all those CCTV feeds. And there's growing demand. A ReportsNReports analysis estimated the size of the smart surveillance and video analytics global market at $13.5 billion in 2012; it's expected to reach $39 billion by 2020. The promise of video analytics has been oversold in the past. And yet the move toward increasingly elaborate -- and concentrated -- urban surveillance seems inevitable. Don't expect much public opposition, either. While American aversion to the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) blunted efforts to employ surveillance drones domestically, Americans seem less bothered by security cameras. They haven't been used as high-profile tools to kill foreigners on the other side of the world. Domestic drone use feels like the government is pointing its weapons at us. Cameras are permissible because they're banal. And, in fact, they're already here. By the thousands. There will be thousands more. |
