Surveillance cameras have become so advanced, they can zoom in to peep in on text messages, a recent privacy conference held in Wellington, New Zealand, revealed.

During last year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, for example, spectators showing suspicious or aggressive behavior were watched closely, all the way down to their text messages, by camera operators.

Footage displayed at the conference showed that a man was texting about the poor quality of the match.

The conference also outlined how security cameras will soon be able to detect loud noises and even drug residue.

Such developments have cast concern throughout privacy advocates, who claim that the cameras are a breach of personal privacy.

“It’s quite worrying when we, by default, move to some sort of Orwellian 1984 where the state or Big Brother watches your every move,” said civil liberties lawyer Michael Bott.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions and we don’t realize what we are giving up when we give the state the power to monitor our private lives.”

Others were more positive on the issue, arguing that the cameras would contribute to crime prevention.

In Korea, the average person is digitally recorded 83 times a day.



By Gukby Sim
Intern Reporter

(simgukby@heraldcorp.com)