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[url] http://glasgow.stv.tv/articles/310713-glasgows-new-surveillance-installed-by-israeli-firm-nice-systems/ [/url]
[B]A new state-of-the-art surveillance system is currently being installed across the city[/B]
Glasgow triumphed over 29 other UK cities to win the multi-million pound funding from the Technology Strategy Board to trial the new system which promises to make life in the city "smarter, safer and more sustainable".
But should we be welcoming the new technology as a force for good or worrying about further intrusions into our personal space?
The surveillance network has been devised by Israel-based NICE Systems, who specialise in telephone voice recording, data security and surveillance.
Set up in 1986, NICE Systems was reportedly founded by a group of ex-Israeli army colleagues originally for military applications before shifting into the civilian sphere.
The plans, which are part of the local authority's £24m Future Cities Programme, aim to create a fusion of CCTV operation, road networks, traffic lights, and traffic cameras which detect "unusual behaviour".
As part of this, any unusual activity, such as rallies or demonstrations, that is detected on the 400 HD cameras will trigger an alarm in the new integrated command centre, prompting further investigation.
NICEsystems1
via YOUTUBE via YOUTUBE
Promotional video from NICE regarding the new Glasgow system.
'Lack of transparency'
Glasgow MSP and Scottish Green Party co-convener Patrick Harvie warned that the new system was a potential 'threat to freedom'.
Mr Harvie said: "Glaswegians are already under far more surveillance than most of us are aware of, and this is a serious challenge to our privacy and civil liberties.
"Few people would want to do away with tools like CCTV altogether, but it needs to be used proportionately and it needs to be kept publicly accountable.
"There is a lack of transparency and democratic oversight surrounding this new programme, and that creates very real threats to our freedom".
He added: "It’s a vital principle that we are all innocent until proved guilty, but in the age of mass surveillance we’re all treated as suspects every day of our lives.
"I call on Glasgow City Council to disclose the nature of all surveillance systems they use now or are planning to use, and to consult the public on how they will operate and what democratic controls are in place to limit the power of those currently watching our every step."
Watchdog Privacy International went further, highlighting concerns over NICE Systems' relationship with countries in Central Asia, which is detailed in their Private Interests Report.
Edin Omanovic, researcher at Privacy International, said: "Modern surveillance is based on the notion that just because something can be done technologically, then it should.
"NICE and Glasgow officials market these new systems as simply improving or streamlining existing capabilities, but in fact they are creating more surveillance powers throughout the city aiming to track everyone’s movements.
"What may be more worrying though is that Glasgow has contracted with a company like NICE at all; a company that is very eager to boast about the Glasgow contract, but are not so transparent about the other work they do," he added.
"An investigation by Privacy International last year found that NICE is also in the murky business of providing mass and intrusive communications surveillance systems to Kazakhstan’s KNB and Uzbekistan’s SNB, two security agencies widely implicated in human rights abuses."
Mr Omanovic said: "Monitoring centres sold by NICE to these repressive states aim to allow direct, unchecked access to the telephone calls and internet activity of the civilian population on a mass, indiscriminate scale, and NICE maintains an open relationship with these countries even as human rights abuses are ongoing.
"Despite this, Glasgow officials have trumpeted how great of a company NICE is, and how happy the city should be have them as partners.
"These leads us to one of two conclusions: either the council has not taken appropriate due diligence, or it has and decided that it is appropriate for public money to be given to a company we have found to be involved in such activities."
Tackling crime
Speaking about the new system, a spokesman for Glasgow City Council said the new system did not use facial recognition or monitor emotional intelligence but would make the city safer and more sustainable.
He said: "Glasgow's existing outdated Public Space CCTV network is being replaced by new high definition cameras.
"Four hundred existing cameras are being replaced as part of this programme.
"Glasgow won the £24m Future Cities funding from the UK Government in a competition to demonstrate how technology can make life in the city smarter, safer and more sustainable.
"It has to be spent within that remit and not on anything else. NICE Situator and Vision software does not involve facial recognition, emotional intelligence or monitoring of social media or emails as has been inaccurately reported."
He added: "Installation of the new CCTV cameras has begun and the NICE Situator and Vision software is in place.
"A trial of NICE's video analytics is planned for later in the year. This involves Suspect Search which can be used to find missing children or vulnerable adults quickly, such as those with dementia, as well as tackling crime. Again it does not involve facial recognition or emotional intelligence.
"We are trying to make Glasgow a safer place for everyone who lives and works here and who visits the city."
No
For balance:
Yes
Yes, saw this a while ago. The big flaw in the plan is it still relies on Glasgow's Finest to actually investigate the crimes...
Maybe.
So, in short, it uses cameras and behavioral recognition software to find folk up to no good?
unless its looking at in window to spy on me choking the chicken I don't really carefurther intrusions into our personal space?
my freedom to commit a crime i suppose - the bastards.creates very real threats to our freedom
in conclusion - meh.
The reality will probably be more like Charles Stross's [i]Halting State/Rule34[/i]
Sadly, there won't be a third book: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/12/psa-why-there-wont-be-a-third-.html
no, not like you should be committing crime so what is the issue.
poah - Member
no, not like you should be committing crime so what is the issue.
guess that depends on what the definition of a crime is, not like a crime is a constant or equates to morally incorrect.
Aye, so long as it doesn't stray in to minority report style 'you were about to do something' type stuff or shutting down legal and peaceful protests etc then I don't see a problem.
I dunno, there's enough junkies around that finding 3 pre-cogs could be a go-er!
You think I should expect the glasgow gestapo 
to be bothering me everytime I spark up a joint in george square? 😆
seosamh77 - Member
You think I should expect the glasgow gestapo to be bothering me everytime I spark up a joint in george square?
*reported* *to the feds*
Kaesae think of poor Kaesae
He's from Edinburgh, no chance he'd get through the border crossing at Harthill
Can it see me interfering with myself in Brighton. If so yes.
Will it automatically shoot laser beams at cyclists riding on the pavement?
Kaesae think of poor Kaesae
Not very often, no.
As a fairly boring, law abiding middle aged fart who has no desire to "stick it to the man", and is prepared to deal with the consequences if the system catches me doing 35 in a 30, I struggle to get concerned by this sort of thing.
Some depressing answers. As always.
I think its a great way to spend surplus public funds!
seeing as all the other stuff like hospitals and schools and homelessness etc have all been dealt with, what else could they do with all that money?
Some depressing answers. As always.
Depressing or pragmatic?
I think it's time to drive round Glasgow with a big "**** off ya radge [i]NICE[/i] spies" emblazoned on the roof of a van.
Not impressed with it in the slightest btw, and the fact it is delivered by ex Israeli military employees just raises my hackles further.
I am a bit uneasy about the use of this new system great to find missing kids etc but the monitoring of "unusual behaviour" whatever that is concerns me.
They could have spent that 24 million on making sure there are no homeless people in Glasgow. But hey, let's all live in a state of fear.
Glad we've got our priorities straight.
Think it was the last Labour gov that loved those lampposts with covert cameras, they wanted em everywhere! nice outside your house looking in, just in case, GPS on your mobile/car, cameras and microphones on your internet connected TV/Phone/PC/Laptop/Tablet.
Nice on demand surveillance to keep you safe. I for one can't think of better more trust worthy custodians of our safety than politicians in conjunction with large corps and local council officials, as we know the peoples interests are always their top priority.
We will see how the country wide covert surveillance roll out pans out, my guess in the long term it will bite us on the arse, in many expected and unexpected ways and will make the contractors very rich at our expense, without any consultation or transparency. Still I've got my tin foil hat and if I'm not doing anything wrong I've got nothing to worry about right, I mean who's interested in my boring life anyway.
kelvin - Member
Some depressing answers. As always.
POSTED 7 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
Go on, tell us the correct answer then. And can we get called "sheeple" while we're at it?
I think it is slightly concerning. It may be a small change that people accept, but lots of small changes can creep in gradually until we one day might realise it's gone too far. GCC are notorious for wasting money at the best of times a nd imw glad I don't live within a gcc zone.
I am pretty disappointed that people are so willing to just accept this.
[url= http://www.ted.com/talks/glenn_greenwald_why_privacy_matters?language=en ]Why Privacy Matters and why you shouldn't just roll over because you've "got nothing to hide"[/url]
Can't watch the video in work as The Man will see me, and I'll forget by the time I'm home. Can I get brief highlights?
you don't have any privacy in public
Yes. Any form of surveillance implies a hierarchical relationship between the surveiller and the surveilee. The surveiller decides what is acceptable conduct and uses their surveillance to detect that which they object to, with the intention of punishing the behavior they consider to be 'unacceptable'. Over time what is considered 'acceptable' is bound to change, with the goal posts being arbitrarily moved to include activity which was previously considered to be innocuous...
But if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear, so keep on nibbling the grass...
you don't have any privacy in public
You do however have a right to go about your business without being monitored, tracked and harassed
It's only a matter of time...
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Can't watch the video in work as The Man will see me, and I'll forget by the time I'm home. Can I get brief highlights?
[url= http://www.ted.com/talks/glenn_greenwald_why_privacy_matters/transcript?language=en#t-89405 ]Here's[/url] the transcript.
BoardinBob - MemberYou do however have a right to go about your business without being monitored, tracked and harassed
under what law? CCTV etc has decreased the amount of crime committed and been used in evidence to convict. Why wouldn't you want it there. I've never been harassed in public from the police or CCTV operators. I want the cameras there for my own safety
under what law?
article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights?
Why wouldn't you want it there
🙁
I've never been harassed in public from the police or CCTV operators
A rather narrow minded, "I'm alright Jack" view
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
poah - Memberunder what law? CCTV etc has decreased the amount of crime committed and been used in evidence to convict. Why wouldn't you want it there. I've never been harassed in public from the police or CCTV operators. I want the cameras there for my own safety
If CCTV is so effective, then why isn't Britain the safest place in the world?
We have more cameras per person than any other country on Earth, yet aren't even in the top ten safest countries to live in.
Just turn on your television and you will find an almost endless supply of programmes showing violent crime being committed in front of CCTV.
My actual privacy is more important than your perception that CCTV makes you safe.
It doesn't.
I'm not personally that worried about the surveillance, just don't believe it's a good use of money. CCTV is good for watching crimes on playback, it's not so good at preventing or intervening in crimes.
Also not that impressed at either the people getting excited about the Israel connection, or for that matter the people denouncing everyone who criticises it as antisemitic. They're not jewish cameras.
My actual privacy
Your public privacy (which isn't changing just because software is doing a job previously done by humans) or your private privacy (which just isn't changing)?
which just isn't changing
Says who.
Bunch of cyclists gathering for a ride. The cameras detect a mob and track you or despatch the riot police?
Loving the demo of the CCTV system to find the suspect/victim.
Computer: Find me all the young women with long blonde hair, tight white top and a short denim skirt. Now play video of them. Show me where they live!
Says who.Bunch of cyclists gathering for a ride. The cameras detect a mob and track you or despatch the riot police?
Then we've bought the dumbest behavioral recognition software on the planet. Is this being run from Edinburgh?
Have quickly read the transcript - still not concerned. He seems to be implying that handing someone your email passwords for them to troll is the same as monitoring for specific events? And having privacy in your home is the same as privacy in public?
I find this kind of thing very worrying, for two main reasons:
1. Scope creep. Anti-terrorism legislation is already used to stop peaceful protest; just because the current government says this monitoring is only about crime doesn't mean that the next one won't find more inventive uses for it.
2. Commercial use: in 10 years time facial and gait recognition will be capable of detecting when you park your car, the route you took to the cinema, the restaurant you stopped at, and the time you took to get back to your starting point. That kind of information is massively valuable to advertisers, insurance companies, etc. What's going to stop a future government from selling that data?
legend - MemberYour public privacy (which isn't changing just because software is doing a job previously done by humans) or your private privacy (which just isn't changing)?
No, my actual privacy, as I stated.
The ability for me to go about my legal business without being watched and tracked.
I am actually losing this ability.
This is in contrast to the fallacy that the millions of cameras that we have make us safer.
This is in contrast to the fallacy that the millions of cameras that we have make us safer.
I would love to see concrete evidence that CCTV on its own actual reduced crime. It may help catch people after the fact and even then the footage is usually horrifically bad though the tech is improving, but I doubt anyone decides not to mug or stab someone because there's a camera pointing at them.
It's an illusion of safety at best, and an erosion of privacy.
IME the only street CCTV that is of much use is the systems with a human operator. Footage from fixed cameras covering a whole street is often little help. It may show something of an incident but little detail and almost never good enough footage to identify a suspect. On the other hand footage from an operator seeing something developing and zooming in is very useful both in directing cops to the scene and for evidential purposes.
Does it prevent crime? I think it displaces a fair bit away from the cameras. It certainly doesn't prevent much spontaneous crime where alcohol is involved. I've seen live ongoing footage of someone getting his head kicked in outside a club where it was well known there was a town centre CCTV system. The problem there was lack of resources meant nobody available to send as being a Fri or Sat night all resources were already dealing with other incidents elsewhere.
I did deal with one reported assault where I found footage after searching the system. Not enough to ID the other party. But enough to show that my "victim" had in fact started it by headbutting someone else after exchanging a few words then happened to come off worse. So it was useful in establishing the facts but wasn't anywhere near good enough for an identification.
The problem there was lack of resources meant nobody available to send as being a Fri or Sat night all resources were already dealing with other incidents elsewhere.
So this camera thing is part of a £24 million pound project. I'd wager that spending that £24 million on more police on the beat and better resources for them on a day to day basis would probably do far more good than lining the pockets of the company that made these cameras.
Definitely Bob, I feel sick when I see stories of the money Glasgow City Council waste. They're like a dictatorship doing whatever they like as they can't be kicked out!
sbob - Member
No, my actual privacy, as I stated.
The ability for me to go about my legal business without being watched and tracked
I am actually losing this ability
You never had any in the first place.
They're like a dictatorship doing whatever they like as they can't be kicked out
Yeah we'll soon see about that, hopefully.
Next bunch will be just as bad.
Timely example of more money being thrown around like confetti[url= http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-31606326 ]http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-31606326[/url]
This planning consent will unlock over £300m of private sector investment for Glasgow
Buchanan Galleries is just fine as it is, and I actually took a walk through it yesterday and noticed a few empty shops. If they can't fill existing shops then what hope for a £390m expansion? I'd rather see that money used to revamp Sauchiehall Street which is an absolute toilet these days with a heady mix of boarded up shops, pound shops and e-cigarette shops. Grim.
BoardinBob - Spot on.