Rick, a Grade 10 student, notices as he gets to school that the front entrance now has a security camera, which is held inside a protective plastic bubble. As he goes to the cafeteria to get a snack before class he sees that cameras have been installed there, too – one in the ceiling and one right over the line for the cash register.

He decides to ask his homeroom teacher, Ms. Ellison, about the cameras. Ms. Ellison sighs and says they were put in because of an increase in graffiti, and of shoplifting in the cafeteria. She tells Rick that she’s taught in some schools where every hallway had a security camera. Some schools, she’s heard, even have cameras in all the classrooms.

Though he can’t quite explain why, Rick is disturbed by the thought of being on camera all the time. Now that he’s aware of them, he starts to notice all of the other cameras in public places. Nearly every store he goes into, and all the corridors at the mall, have security cameras; busy intersections have red light cameras; police cars have dashboard cameras that film everything in front of their cars. He thinks about photos he’s posted to Facebook, and about the webcam he has in his room: is he sure he knows where those pictures go?

Rick has to do a project on a current issue for his class with Ms. Ellison, and he decides to do it on cameras in public places. As he starts doing research he learns that many cities are installing cameras for the police to use; these are already widespread in the United Kingdom, and big cities like New York and Chicago are putting them in buses, subway stations and parks. Reading a few newspaper articles on the subject shows him that while some people are worried about losing their privacy many other people think that the cameras are a good thing if they prevent crime. One article says that scientists are working to write software that will let cameras recognize sounds like gunshots and glass breaking.

The next week Rick presents his project to the class. He’s taken a map of his neighbourhood and marked on it everywhere there’s a camera of some kind. He points out to the class that the map came from Google Maps, which provides real satellite photos so detailed you can see individual people (though the faces are blurred.) He says that about the only place you can be sure of being off camera is in your own home or in the classroom (and, if Ms. Ellison is right, there may be soon be cameras in classrooms).
 
Ms. Ellison asks the class if anyone has any questions, and several of Rick’s friends put up their hands. They’re not asking questions, though: they’re showing him that they’ve filmed him with their camera phones.

Questions

• Briefly summarize the events in this case study and list the issues it raises around privacy. (You should be able to identify at least three issues.)
  
  
• How serious do you think the issues raised here are? Why? Which is the most serious and why?
  
  
• Does this case study seem relevant to your own life? Why or why not?