Alva Review-Courier -

Surveillance cameras are everywhere. With smart phone technology, we can monitor our cameras from another state. Criminal activity is recorded as are the criminals themselves, leading to fast apprehension when someone is recognized. Facial recognition technology makes human intervention unnecessary if the perpetrator has a mug shot. Many do, and while that is a deterrent, crime persists. There is no limit to what may be seen on CCTV, closed circuit television.

An article in February's National Geographic traces the history of CCTV starting in 1951 with the introduction of Kodak’s portable movie camera. Video recorders expanded the usability and now the internet shares or stores more than 2.5 trillion images annually. Our system saves up to 72 hours of activity and digitally tags sequences when motion occurs. A recent theft at our store identified the culprit as they drove by to “case” the joint, later returning to steal a filing cabinet. Not an easy heist; it took two of them, all recorded on our system.

Personal monitoring devices, cell phone cameras, dash cams, body cams, helmet cams and doorbells equipped with lenses all catch the unsuspecting with undeniable identification. These are the “watching” devices we are capable of seeing – what about the skies, now cluttered with satellites and drones, all aimed at you-know-who. Two-and-a-half million drones were purchased in 2016 and the skies contain more than 1,700 satellites. Sitting in the hot tub seems to afford a lot of privacy, but is the world really better with someone always watching?