From freedom of speech to freedom of association, the right to a fair trial to the right to privacy – our civil liberties are being eroded at an astonishing rate. With nearly four million CCTV cameras tracking our daily lives, Britain is the world leader in surveillance technology.
Supported by a flurry of media hysteria, the government has manipulated issues of public concern to override the rule of law. They tell us there is a ‘war on terror’ in an attempt to legitimise the abandonment of habeas corpus and the illegal detention of hundreds of people in Guantanamo Bay. “Our children are at risk,” they tell us. So let’s mob a group of innocent paediatricians in a tabloid witch-hunt.
The latest assault on basic human freedoms comes in the form of a new television package. Part of a government initiative, a not entirely ignoble attempt to close the class gap in the digital revolution will give subscribers access to ‘community cams’, warn them about local criminals, and display images of Asbo (Anti Social Behaviour Order) subjects.
The uproar over anti-social behaviour enabled the government to slap Asbos on those people (mostly children) who were deemed destructive to the community. An Asbo is a civil order that imposes limitations on an individual accused of ‘anti-social behaviour,’ such as vandalism, harassment and even swearing. With the Asbo culture came the naming and shaming process, wherein people subject to Asbos would be made known to the local community.
Now a project in East London will take this a step further. The project, called Digital Bridge, was set up by the Shoreditch Trust and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and funded by the New Deal for Communities. The digital provider will be Network Video (who are also responsible for Homechoice television). The pilot scheme offered residents on the Haberdasher and Charles housing estates an onscreen computer, high-speed internet access, free telephone calls and digital television for about £3.50 a week.
At present the project is in the pilot stage, but it seems likely that it could extend nationally and, eventually, internationally. The organisers of Digital Bridge say they plan to monitor the scheme, and if there is enough demand they will roll it out to the Borough of Hackney. There have also been discussions with national boroughs, and there is tentative interest from overseas.
Digital Bridge says the primary objectives of the scheme are “to offer new technologies to the communities that have been bypassed by the digital revolution”. But while these may be socially viable, the methods to attain these ends pose serious questions regarding civil liberties and human rights.
As well as the digital communications, subscribers will gain access to Shoreditch TV. This will include a Community Channel that, in keeping with New Deal principles, aims to increase education, improve awareness of health issues, and reduce the fear of crime in deprived areas. It is this aspect of the package that has attracted most attention from civil rights campaigners, but also, according to Digital Bridge, the highest level of support from members of the community.
The Community Channel will allow residents to view footage from ‘community cams’, enabling people to effectively spy on their neighbours. It will also publish images of Asbo subjects, earning it the nickname ‘Asbo TV’. In an attempt to improve community-police relations, people will be able to report anyone who is acting suspiciously at the touch of a button.
“Even George Orwell didn’t envisage Big Brother being neighbours,” says Andrew Mackie of Asbo Concern. Mackie believes that using surveillance technology disperses crime, but does not reduce it. He adds, “I think it’s basically a gimmick. It’s not going to get down to the bedrock of poverty and social exclusion, which are the causes of crime.
“An obvious risk is that of vigilantism, where people take matters into their own hands. There is also the danger of mistaken identity. And there are issues around civil rights, which are especially important for young people.”
Mackie says, “Young people can change. The idea has to be to rehabilitate, and if they are told that everyone thinks they are bad and anti-social it is much harder.
“There are also concerns that if they [young people] are alone from other people, there is a stigma created that might drive them to stay known for being bad. Some kids have used their Asbos as a badge of honour – a status symbol.”
Most people subjected to Asbos are socially disadvantaged young people. There is a risk that if a child’s image is projected onto TV screens in the local area that they will become known as a bad person and effectively trapped in that role. If publicising Asbo subjects makes the individuals into some kind of local celebrity, there is more risk of stigmatising people, which would actually increase anti-social behaviour.
Britain is still recovering from over a decade of Margaret Thatcher’s rule, who opposed the very notion of community. Prioritising a fierce individuality over the needs of the collective, she envisioned an ‘atomic society’. The objectives of the Digital Bridge project may include rebuilding the community, but using surveillance technology does little to support people. It is even possible that the effect will be detrimental to the community. Surely labelling some people as nasty distances them – increasing social exclusion and decreasing the chance that they will change. “They say they’re trying to recreate a sense of community where everyone knew and looked out for each other,” Mackie says. “But I don’t think this will work. They talk about a sense of community, but young people are part of the community and we need to build up a relationship with them in more positive ways.”
It is also possible that the ‘community cams’ will be used against the people they purport to protect. Andrew Duff, a local Conservative councillor, said: “It could be used by dishonest people as well.” He was concerned that there could be an increase in crime if potential burglars used the system to monitor movements and check unoccupied properties.
According to Daniel Hodges, CEO of Digital Bridge, this is an urban regeneration programme founded on wide-reaching social objectives. Far from increasing social alienation, Hodges says the scheme will have an overwhelmingly positive effect, helping to build a stronger community. “We all hear tales about the good old days when kids could play on the street and next door neighbours would keep an eye out,” he says. “This is about the whole community looking out for each other.
“Obviously we are aware of the civil liberties issues that are raised. But other elements give the opportunity for greater engagement between the police and the public. We are focused on tackling the fear of crime and hope that by providing a window into the community people will see that maybe things are not as bad as they may seem.”
Hodges believes that the “direct deterrent effect” of installing CCTV cameras will help to reduce crime. “The success of the scheme will be based on the extent to which the community utilises it,” he says. “There will be training provided and we are absolutely confident that local communities will be able to utilise the project. We believe that massive benefits will be had for the sections of the community with pressing social need.”
Defending the ‘Asbo TV’ aspect of the Community Channel, Hodges says: “There will not be a ‘rogues gallery’, not everyone with an Asbo will have their image displayed. If there is an individual that the police are looking for who is in breach of an Asbo, then they will be able to display the image.”
There have been concerns that the ‘community cams’ breach the guidelines set out in the CCTV Code of Practice, and pose difficulties for the Data Protection Act. But Hodges is adamant that it won’t be possible to identify individuals from the surveillance footage. A preliminary investigation by Jonathan Bamford, Assistant Commissioner for the Information Commissioner’s Office, in relation to this matter concluded that because the project is yet to be implemented, “there are no current data protection compliance issues to investigate. However, we are in contact with the Trust and working closely together to ensure that the scheme is fully compliant with the DPA when it is implemented.”
We live in a society in which people are warped by fear, fear that is instilled by the government and perpetuated by the media. Giving people on a deprived estate access to CCTV cameras aims to reduce the fear of crime. But whether it’s an old lady who is too scared to go out, or a young man on the peripheries of society, there is a risk that it could trap people into their own lives. Rather than addressing the symptoms of a problem, a more positive course of action and regeneration would be to deal with the cause. To provide long-term sustenance and support to help relieve the social depravation that lies at the core of most crime-ridden areas.