Now I understand...

I have always been puzzled by the preoccupation of the Authorities with electronic surveillance for the management of congestion charging, when a simple paper-based ticketing system would be sufficient.  Ever since my first advocacy of universal highway charging (1997 - check the record)  I have advocated the use of paper-tickets, issued by all Lottery-ticket outlets, thus spreading the economic effect widely throughout the small-business sector and local economies.

Now the truth is coming out.  The electronic surveillance system has been refined specifically as a means of Police detection, capable of photographing the faces of the drivers, as well as the number-plates of their cars.  Sinister purposes are behind this new revelation, explored this Sunday in  The Observer. 

Now: I am a realist.  I know that electronic surveillance is here to stay.  It will be a feature of "big city life" for all future generations, as cities become too big for any other effective form of surveillance. The civil libertarians who object to the phenomenon itself are fighting a losing battle.  But that does not remove the grave threats which it constitutes to our freedoms, our human dignities. 

This is my suggested Surveillance Charter, designed to manage the social and political threats of electronic surveillance.

• Democratic authority  Full public debate should be required, before the introduction of any surveillance cameras into any neighbourhood, and local councils should be given strong delaying powers, to ensure that the debate is detailed and thorough.  The Authorities would not be required to differentiate surveillance systems according to their specific function.  But the decision whether or not to admit surveillance cameras at all should be treated as one of high democratic importance, and taken from mere functional administrative authorities.
• Neighbourhood differentiation  A clear differentiation should be drawn between supervised and unsupervised neighbourhoods, and the designations should be open and accessible, by way of maps in all public libraries. The right of privacy accorded to every citizen demands that this information should at all times be clear and easily accessible.
• No domestic intrusion  No surveillance system should ever be permitted to penetrate into private residential homes, and management safeguards introduced to counter the obvious risks of administrative abuse;
• Public Service Primacy Special safeguards should be introduced to ensure the staffing quality of those conducting the E-surveillance, and they should at all time be public servants, not sub-contracted private companies - this is, above all, a spying function which should be entrusted only to mainstream public servants, for the risks of abuse by private contractors is very high indeed.
• New checks and balances  A new independent Data Access Agency should monitor all cross-references between databases: this is already a key policy of the Socialist Civil Liberties Association - check out SoCLA.

Civil rights campaigners like me have a high duty - not to obstruct this development (which has many potential advantages and benefits, within major cities) - but to ensure that E-surveillance is properly and humanely managed, so that human dignity and privacy are protected, not destroyed.

Do you subscribe to my Surveillance Charter?  Drop me a line