State Sponsored Gaze?

Surveillance in UK is of the most rigorous and strict kind. United Kingdom was described by the Surveillance Studies Network as the "most surveyed country" among the industrialized Western states at 2006. Certain surveys like the YouGov poll have shown that 79% of the people agreed that UK has become a "surveillance society" and 59% were not happy with this as it threatens privacy and encroaches on personal lives.



The surveillance services in UK range from CCTV networks to public transport system. 4.2 million Close Circuit TV Cameras monitor UK; some of them possess a facial recognition capacity with almost all cities of the country under 24 hour surveillance. Microphones are now becoming an added accessory to the CCTV Cameras in Westminster. These enable the operator to keep a tab on anything which seems suspicious, and also to hear what the public is saying.



Even in public transport systems, surveillance is effected. The Oyster Card payment system in London can trace the movement of the individual people through the public transport system. However, an anonymous option is available, whereas the London congestion charge utilizes the computer imaging to track car number plates.



Aerial vehicle systems are also being brought into the forefront, especially for the surveillance of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Police force will ensure a system of "surveillance, monitoring and evidence gathering" to incorporate unmanned aircraft vehicles into the work of the police, the border, the authorities and the government agencies to observe any unwanted activists like protestors, fly-tippers, agricultural thieves and anti-social motorists. These consist of radar devices, high-definition cameras, infrared sensors and stay in the air for up to 15 hours. To compensate for some of the running costs, it was suggested that the aircraft do some commercial work and aid private companies in surveillance.



Modes of communication in UK too have been kept under surveillance. In 2002, the plans of the extension of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act(RIPA) were announced, so that 28 Government companies were officially authorized to keep a check on the citizens’ web, emails, phone, fax records and internet use in 2005-2006 without a warrant and without the subject’s intelligence. Every little detail of telecommunication would be gathered and monitored by the State authorities.



Such a system has obviously evoked vehement protests and fears, such as Richard Thomas’ concern that UK would "sleep-walk into a surveillance society" have now been realized. Unseen, uncontrolled surveillance is always a worry.