India's citizen cops hand CCTV footage to the police
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Read the full story: An app that lets Indians share security camera footage to fight crime raises questions about the pitfalls of private surveillance.
The app, developed by the CitizenCOP Foundation , is in use in Madhya Pradesh state where Indore is located, as well as the states of Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and several cities.
In Indore alone, it gives police access to about 100,000 CCTV cameras, said the city's police commissioner, Harinarayanachari Mishra.
Across India, authorities are deploying technologies such as CCTV cameras and facial recognition systems that they say are needed to bolster security in a severely under-policed country?to prevent crime , and find missing children and stolen goods.
An app such as CitizenCop is more evidence of how police are expanding their surveillance reach by tapping into private security systems, said Anushka Jain , an associate counsel at Internet Freedom Foundation , a digital rights group in Delhi.
But she warned that there are few legal protections - either for the people sharing their security data or those targeted.
Disproportionate targeting
While there is little correlation between CCTV cameras and crime rates, researchers have shown that such surveillance systems generally target people who are already disproportionately?subjected to policing , including low-income workers and members of religious or ethnic minorities.
The CitizenCOP app, which also enables residents to report suspicious activities or individuals to the police, is another way that technology can perpetuate entrenched biases, said researcher Nikita Sonavane .
While the police may solve a few crimes using CCTV footage, there are more instances where it is used to restrict, harass and spy on poorer people, she added.
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Digital surveillance state
Worldwide, the lines between public and private surveillance are becoming increasingly blurred, with gadgets such as doorbell and dashboard cameras, and security firms and police officers participating in?neighbourhood group chats .
In the United States, several cities are piloting programmes enabling the police?to access ?live video streams from private CCTVs to investigate crimes, while mobile apps and hotlines in several countries let citizens report violations including objectionable social media posts.
Technology that involves public participation in policing only quickens the creation of a digital surveillance state," she added.
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Recently, I've encountered 2-3 news headlines which praises a particular State Police for solving a serious crime case within 24 hours. Curious to know the details, I jump into the article only to know that analysis of CCTV footage was cited as the reason behind the quick success. I am surprised that nobody poses the question that if CCTV surveillance is available, it shouldn't take 24 hours to identify the culprit! On the other hand, I also read about smart uses of technology, such as the ones shared by IPS Amit Lodha: https://youtu.be/y4dEXXsiOrA. Personally, I find the benefits of handing over CCTV footage by citizen cops to have more advantages than disadvantages but I do hope for smarter use of technology and data - both for preventive law enforcement as well as reactive. 4 examples involving Location Analytics can be accessed from: ??Link: https://www.mapmyops.com/location-analytics-for-law-enforcement ??More such Operations-themed Mapping content can be accessed from: https://www.mapmyops.com/geo/categories/supply-chain ??Intelloc Mapping Services (Mapmyops.com), India offers #mapping workflows for #operations improvement. Check our range of solutions from our website and reach out on [email protected].