I Want My CCTV

Radley Balko | May 12, 2008

New research indicates that Britain's massive CCTV surveillance system isn't particularly good at either solving or preventing crime. So, sorry about doing away with that whole "privacy" thing. Guess it was for naught.

But all is not lost. Boing Boing reports...

The Get Out Clause, an unsigned Manchester band who could not afford a camera crew for their video, 'performed' in front of a load of CCTV cameras, requested the footage from the camera operators under the Data Protection Act and then stitched the results together for their music video.

Here's the result:

reason's seminal 2004 covers story on the benefits of the surveillance state here.

Comments

Twitty|5.12.08 @ 1:14PM|#

I hope when Mike Bloomberg reads Hit & Run over lunch today that he cancels his plans for NYC cameras.

Bingo|5.12.08 @ 1:16PM|#

What would the repercussions would be if large numbers started masking their identity in public?

|5.12.08 @ 1:18PM|#

What would the repercussions would be if large numbers started masking their identity in public?

A law prohibiting anyone from masking their identity in public.

With an exception for Muslims, of course.

|5.12.08 @ 1:33PM|#

What would the repercussions would be if large numbers started masking their identity in public?

I suspect if you walked around a downtown business area at night wearing a ski mask and all black clothing, you might find yourself on the wrong end of a police beatdown.

Now, if you could get about 100,000 people to do so while carrying signs saying "get rid of police cameras", not so much so.

|5.12.08 @ 1:41PM|#

I'm still surprised that this private enterprise ban on hoodies didn't catch on and become a law in Britain.

Maybe I just need more patience.

LarryA|5.12.08 @ 1:41PM|#

What would the repercussions would be if large numbers started masking their identity in public?
A law prohibiting anyone from masking their identity in public.

Right after the law prohibiting using the system for music videos.

Coming soon, GPS implants for every citizen.

Now, if you could get about 100,000 people to do so while carrying signs saying "get rid of police cameras", not so much so.

Sorry. Those 100K Englishmen have left the building.

|5.12.08 @ 2:29PM|#

You mean handing over our civil rights to the government doesn't magically fix problems? Who ever would have thought?

Sam Grove|5.12.08 @ 3:02PM|#

OTH, the band is way more creative than the British (OK, any) government.

Mad Max|5.12.08 @ 4:44PM|#

If life hands you Surveillance State lemons, make music-video lemonade.

|5.12.08 @ 4:55PM|#

The problem with this article is that Joe, the Cosmotarians and the Paleos all agree the surveilance state is bad. Tall Dave and the other "Randy Barnett libertarians" just think the surveillance state is a conspiracy theory so they don't even read these articles...so then we get a thread with only 9 posts.

Mad Max|5.12.08 @ 5:15PM|#

"so then we get a thread with only 9 posts."

You're right, that's just too bad . . .

Hey! Someone left a surveillance camera in the Spice Girls' Dressing room!

Jim Anderson|5.12.08 @ 5:51PM|#

Coldplay on the cheap.

George Orwell|5.12.08 @ 6:14PM|#

"New research indicates that Britain's massive CCTV surveillance system isn't particularly good at either solving or preventing crime."

Ahh, but that wasn't the point was it? I hope Airstrip One wakes up from its slumber. So, I was a couple of decades off.

|5.12.08 @ 6:49PM|#

That music video thing is so cool on so many levels.

1) Clever, innovative way of getting a music video shot on the cheap.

2) Gamed the government's rules to get more value out of what they pay for as texpayers.

3) Without being shrill about it, underscored just how ubiquitous those CCTC cameras are.

Okay, by "so many levels" I mean "at least three." But that's a lot of levels to be cool on.

PS: Due to environmental conditions, I had to watch the video with the sound turned all the way down, so I have no opinion as the quality of the actual music.

|5.12.08 @ 6:50PM|#

CCTC = CCTV. "Preview" is for the little people.

Bingo|5.12.08 @ 7:14PM|#

Finally got home and watched the video.

Cool concept, shitty music. There are so many better brit rock bands out there. You weren't missing much Stevo

Rimfax|5.12.08 @ 11:01PM|#

The "could not afford a camera crew" part is almost certainly crap since there are a several shots which almost certainly were not fixed cameras. That doesn't take away from the fact that about 90% of it appears to be genuine CCTV footage. It's a very neat gimmick and very well edited. It's a shame that they didn't have a more distinctive song to take advantage of the free exposure that it will entail.

LarryA|5.13.08 @ 11:21AM|#

an unsigned Manchester band who could not afford a camera crew for their video,

How much could it cost? We just got back from vacation where we saw several people filming the Grand Canyon with their cellphones.