Storeowner Posts Video on YouTube to Catch Thief

The owner of a computer store outside of St. John's, Canada has uploaded surveillance video to the popular online video website YouTube in an effort to catch a thief.

A screengrab from the YouTube video shows a man leaving the Computer Depot M.D. store with a computer component.

Using video surveillance content on the world’s most popular video distribution platform to catch a thief – smart.

Top 10 Asian Telecom Predictions for 2008

IDC has revealed its top 10 telecommunications predictions for the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan (APEJ) in 2008. These include greater demand for Web 2.0 and unified communications applications such as collaboration tools within the enterprise, as well as increasing awareness in IP-surveillance products.

8. IP surveillance With IP-surveillance tools currently being deployed in Beijing, China, as part of the 2008 Olympics security plan, 2008 is set to be a "big" year for the technology. "Businesses will be receptive to IP surveillance due to increased security concerns, as well as IP surveillance's cost effectiveness," IDC said.

IP surveillance technology will become popular in the
gaming, financial services, and retail industries, the study noted, citing
physical security as a primary concern for these vertical industries. I would
add banking to this list.

'Biometrics' Used to Identify Terrorists

Computer scientists and engineers are working with intelligence agencies on an international collaborative database that will use biometrics or unique individual facial, voice and physical "signatures", to identify and trace terrorists and persons of interest.

The combination of a facial expression, a spoken word, or a fingerprint could be enough to stop a terrorist attack.

While tenable results for accuracy, speed and timing are five and 10 years out, the goal is to combine biometrics with artificial intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks—an ambitious, expensive, but worthwhile endeavor.

No Place to Hide for Camera-shy Criminals

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20080121035546155C224410

CCTV cameras, commissioned by the Tshwane Metro Council three years ago, have helped to reduce crime and traffic violations in the inner city. And now the council is hoping to get public support to extend their range into neighboring areas.

“We have 68 cameras and we are negotiating with business and CIDs (city improvement districts) to expand the coverage,” said Tshwane Metro Police spokesperson William Baloyi.

In contrast to many stories where video surveillance has not been effective, Tshwane, South Africa is having nothing but success. The township’s city council credits video cameras for capturing 640 incidents that led to 45 arrests, 129 tickets for driving offences, and the capture of 2 car thieves and three robbery suspects—all from just 68 cameras.

Australian Government Revs up LPR

CrimTrac, the Australian government's criminal information and intelligence agency, is taking the first steps toward developing a nationwide automatic number plate recognition system to capture the vehicle details of suspects and citizens alike.

"We looked at the U.K. experience as part of the study; it's probably the most advanced integration of ANPR technology anywhere in the world, and we'll draw on those experiences, but primarily it will have to suit the Australian context," said Darren Booy, ANPR Project Manager for CrimTrac.

Australia is studying its Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to determine the feasibility of implementing a national network. If approved the rollout should take one to four years. With regards to civil liberties, the study will also include a comprehensive privacy impact assessment after widespread use of the technology overseas raised the concerns of privacy
advocates.

Next Gen Banking

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7641

As banks build more branches to take advantage of customer demand for in-person experiences, they are looking to create more value by adding a variety of technologies designed for customer identification, screening, data collection and sales support.

As you enter the branch, a system identifies you by scanning your RFID loyalty card and then displays a personalized welcome message on the wall. At the same time, a sales representative is informed of your arrival and supplied with a quick summary of your financial situation. If you’re judged to be worth the effort, the sales rep will approach, shake hands, and gently inform you that if you maintain your current savings rate, you’ll be spending your Golden Years in a refrigerator carton.

RFID? Really? I am going to put my money on face recognition, possibly iris recognition, as the technologies that drive these kinds of changes.

Facebook: The New Look of Surveillance

http://www.alternet.org/story/72556/

Facebook sparked an immediate national uproar when it was launched in 2002. Today, the activism has waned, and the surveillance continues largely unabated.

People know their actions are tracked online, says a Facebook spokesperson, just
as they're tracked on streets filled with surveillance cameras, whether
privately controlled through an ATM or publicly controlled [for] legitimate
anticrime or anti-terrorism purposes. In an era of massive top-down
surveillance, posting information on a website may feel downright redundant.

Facebook's growing dominance reflects a society that is increasingly complacent with spying. And while social networking is a free and convenient service, abdicating control of personal information, photos, writing, videos, and memories seems like a high price to pay

When Biometrics Firms Collide: $44m Consolidation Deal

L-1 Identity Solutions, a rapidly growing company in the biometrics space, in early January came to definitive agreement with Bioscrypt, the market leader in physical access control biometrics, to purchase the company for roughly $44 million.

“The access control market is about trust and reliability,” Atick said. “You want to know that the company behind a product is able to sustain itself in that marketplace. Having the L-1 brand behind Bioscrypt takes the issue of survivability off the table, and nobody’s going to be fired for investing in a Bioscrypt solution ... Now, not only is this a good product, but this is a very good company that will stand behind you.”

L-1 will pay the equivalent of $.55 per Bioscrypt share, based on the average closing price of L-1 stock for the 20 trading days leading up to the deal’s close. The purchase price represents a more than 55 percent premium on the $.36 per share trading price of Bioscrpyt on the day before the deal’s announcement.

Cameras are Good, Apps are Better

With the upcoming Beijing Olympics promising some of the most stringent security measures since the Spartans were in charge, Frost & Sullivan has been taking a look at China. No surprise, the video surveillance camera sector is exploding with Chinese camera expenditures expected to double over the next few years.

New analysis from the consulting firm, Chinese Video Surveillance Camera Markets, finds that the market earned revenues of $213.8 million in 2006 and estimates this to reach $484.3 million in 2013.

The news isn’t all good, however. The report also highlights the challenges facing camera manufacturers despite this growth. These include narrow margins due to high competition and dependency on big suppliers for chips and sensors, which affects production capacity utilization. That’s really true all over…much better to build security applications, I think, than cameras these days. In addition to avoiding the “squeeze” faced by hardware manufactures today, as new application technologies disrupt stagnant hardware markets…even create new ones…we should see health growth AND margins for foreseeable future.

Axis of Evil?

Privacy International and Electronic Privacy Information Center have named the U.S., U.K., China, and Russia as the four worst "endemic surveillance societies."

Here is what the report had to say about China:

• Limited rights under constitution under articles 37, 38, 39
• Chinese government acknowledges that it has room for improvement in applying laws fairly and systematically
• Stricter controls are being exerted on press, internet, academics, lawyers and NGO's
• Extensive surveillance schemes implemented in anticipation of the 2008 Olympics
• Increased expectation of privacy amongst citizens has led to academics calling openly for stronger privacy laws
• Some privacy laws
• Search and interception does require warrants but they are authorised by officials and prosecutors
• Increased legal activity and suits in the area of medical privacy
• In 2006 China's central bank developed a database that links up information on consumer credit; and private sector initiatives are emerging that advertise access to 90 million incomes, marital status and sensitive information for 12 cents per request
  

Here is what it had to say about the United States:

• No right to privacy in constitution, though search and seizure protections exist in 4th Amendment; case law on government searches has considered new technology
• No comprehensive privacy law, many sectoral laws; though tort of privacy
• FTC continues to give inadequate attention to privacy issues, though issued self-regulating privacy guidelines on advertising in 2007
• State-level data breach legislation has proven to be useful in identifying faults in security
  REAL-ID and biometric identification programs continue to spread without adequate oversight, research, and funding structures
• Extensive data-sharing programs across federal government and with private sector
• Spreading use of CCTV
• Congress approved presidential program of spying on foreign communications over U.S. networks, e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, etc.; and now considering immunity for telephone companies, while government claims secrecy, thus barring any legal action
• No data retention law as yet, but equally no data protection law
• World leading in border surveillance, mandating trans-border data flows
• Weak protections of financial and medical privacy; plans spread for 'rings of steel' around cities to monitor movements of individuals
• Democratic safeguards tend to be strong but new Congress and political dynamics show that immigration and terrorism continue to leave politicians scared and without principle
• Lack of action on data breach legislation on the federal level while REAL-ID is still compelled upon states has shown that states can make informed decisions
• Recent news regarding FBI biometric database raises particular concerns as this could lead to the largest database of biometrics around the world that is not protected by strong privacy law

Notice anything odd? One would think that the U.S. afforded far fewer privacy protections to its citizens than China! No serious person could make that argument. And the report is completely silent on whole swaths of the planet where public policing of moral behavior is the norm and people are regularly put to death for their “crimes” in the bedroom. As someone who takes privacy and personal liberty pretty seriously, I found Privacy International’s report to be more than a little frustrating. Every time privacy advocates verge from objective advocacy into meaningless bashing of Western institutions, the genuine cause of privacy is set back and the thoughtful balancing of the worlds privacy and security concerns is made that much more difficult.

Smokers, Cell Phone Users, Foot Drivers Beware!

Traffic cameras in the UK are now being used to fine drivers who are caught engaging in prohibited or dangerous behavior…you know things like driving with your feet.

Camera Plans Hits Red Light

A New Jersey State Senate vote on a red light camera funding bill fell short of the votes needed to pass Monday. The Garden State is the only one to see its traffic camera plans go awry lately, however.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox declared use of red light and speed cameras
to be illegal. And the Minnesota Supreme Court struck down red light cameras,
ruling it was wrong for police to ticket the car owner, regardless of who was
driving.

Surveillance cameras used in crime-fighting seem to avoid most of these challenges, however, and catch actual bad guys.. There has got be a reason folks are so fixated on traffic cameras.