Surveillance culture, good and bad

May 2013 News & Events

News of the bomb attack in Boston was all over the news last month, complete with some really mindless and careless speculation among TV and print journalists about who did it, who was arrested and a host of other supposed facts that turned out to be made up in the desperation to get a story. One of the interesting aspects to come out of the tragedy was the amount of video footage (mostly poor quality) taken before and after the explosion.

Between CCTV cameras and mobile devices, it seems everything we do these days is on a video somewhere – and that is not even in London. The bad news is that everything we do is recorded somewhere; the good news in the case of a terrorist attack like the one in Boston is that everything is recorded somewhere.

While video can help to identify and catch suspects, it also allows almost anyone to publish stories and images about the incident. Take the New York Post’s front page shortly after the Boston bombing. It carried a large picture of two people the publication identified as suspects. In fact, they were simply bystanders but the paper did not bother to make this clear. At the time of writing it has not issued an apology either. Stupidity or sensationalism? There is a rather vicious attack on the editor at http://ow.ly/kdiYh (warning: contains offensive language). And even that is nothing compared to the 'news' on Twitter in the days following the bomb blast.

Of course, more important than recording footage of crimes is the ability of the authorities to make use of the video in prosecutions, which includes the process of securing the video and keeping it under control throughout the investigation and prosecution process. Sadly, while the SAPS has a few excellent forensic analysts who are CSI quality – CSI in the real world, not Hollywood – there are far too few of them and their colleagues often let them down because they are not trained to manage video evidence.

If we want video to make a difference in our lives that makes being under constant surveillance worth it, those we trust with protecting us must take responsibility to handle the systems and footage correctly – which is a subject in itself that cannot fit onto this page. Needless to say, it is a sore issue in South Africa.

PSIRA registration is required

Following on from a query from a distributor, I asked SASA whether it was necessary that CCTV installers are also registered at PSIRA. The answer is yes. The minimum qualifications are that owners and senior directors require a Grade B certification, while employees need to be Grade D certified. So even security equipment installers need to be registered and qualified. Perhaps these required qualifications are ludicrous for installers, but there it is.

Correction

In the March issue we published an article 'Centurion acquires MyGSM' ( http://www.securitysa.com/44900n) with an image of Christo Wentzel, but we labelled the image with the incorrect name. Hi-Tech Security Solutions apologises for the error.

It will not, however, be an error to read this month’s edition of Hi-Tech Security Solutions. As always, comments are welcome at [email protected]



Credit(s)




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Highest increase in global cyberattacks in two years
Information Security News & Events
Check Point Global Research released new data on Q2 2024 cyber-attack trends, noting a 30% global increase in Q2 2024, with Africa experiencing the highest average weekly per organisation.

Read more...
The power of PKI and private sector innovation
Access Control & Identity Management News & Events Government and Parastatal (Industry)
At the recent ID4Africa 2025 Summit in Addis Ababa, the spotlight was firmly on building secure, inclusive, and scalable digital identity ecosystems for the African continent.

Read more...
Bosch Security renamed Keenfinity
News & Events
Globally renowned brands for video systems, access control and intrusion alarm systems, as well as communication systems, unite under the roof of the new company Keenfinity Group.

Read more...
2025 video surveillance market set for improved fortunes
News & Events Surveillance
Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition, forecasting a healthy growth rate of 8,1% until 2029, excluding China.

Read more...
Wialon announces integration with fleet maintenance and optimisation platform
News & Events Transport (Industry) Logistics (Industry)
Fleet management software platform integrates with a fleet maintenance and optimisation platform to support mutual customers for better workflows and deeper insights into fleet operations.

Read more...
DeepSneak deception
Information Security News & Events
Kaspersky Global Research & Analysis researchers have discovered a new malicious campaign which is distributing a Trojan through a fake DeepSeek-R1 Large Language Model (LLM) app for PCs.

Read more...
Almost 50% of companies choose to pay the ransom
News & Events Information Security
This year’s Sophos State of Ransomware 2025 report found that nearly 50% of companies paid the ransom to get their data back, the second-highest rate of ransom payment for ransom demands in six years.

Read more...
Value and industry insight
Securex South Africa Training & Education News & Events
Securex South Africa 2025, co-located with A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo, and Firexpo, drew thousands of security professionals from across the continent and beyond, offering a platform for networking, product discovery, and knowledge sharing.

Read more...
Gallagher Security achieves ISO 27001 recertification
News & Events Training & Education
Gallagher Security has successfully achieved certification to the updated ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). This accomplishment builds on previous certifications and reflects a continued commitment to the highest standards of information security.

Read more...
Survey highlights cost of cyberdamage to industrial companies
Kaspersky Information Security News & Events
The majority of industrial organisations estimate their financial losses caused by cyberattacks to be over $1 million, while almost one in four report losses exceeding $5 million, and for some, it surpasses $10 million.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.