Big Brother and Camera Phones

[cuchulainn]

Hmm.

Does anyone else find Anti-Social Behaviour Unit to be an Orwellian phrase?

Jul 6, 2005 05:18 ET

Youview: Reporting Anti-Social Behaviour With Mobile Photos

LONDON, July 6/PRNewswire/ -- Trail blazing ASB Units launch a new mobile reporting service with U.K. service provider Youview Ltd. From the 1st of August members of the public in three English regions will be able to send mobile photos directly to their local Anti-Social Behaviour Unit.

In return they receive a text with details of their own secure internet area where the ASB Coordinator will post updates on actions taken. Information about closed cases will be made available to the general public on the Local Authority website.

The service works by having people store a special UK wide mobile number on their phones. When they see graffiti, abandoned cars, fly-tipping or other problems detrimental to their local community they take a photo, text the name of their area and send it to the number. The photo arrives in seconds on the ASB Coordinator's desktop and they initiate appropriate action.

The safety and security of members of the public is paramount. The ASB Units strongly advise that no-one should place themselves at personal risk. The service is intended to make it quick and easy for people to report and receive feedback.

Developed by Youview, a U.K. company specialising in image enabling technology, the service is a breakthrough in joined-up mobile and internet communication. The ASB Coordinator manages everything from a secure online application with instant feedback via text and web.

CEO of Youview, Fiona Brownsell, said: "We are delighted to be working with these trailblazer ASB Units. There has been a great deal of interest across Government and Local Authorities about our Picsure service. August will be an interesting month as we test the public's response."

Youview is exhibiting at the European Technology Forum's Mobility Summit at the Victoria Park Plaza in London on the 11th and 12th July, 2005.

Notes to Editors:

Youview Ltd has been in image enabling technology for four years. Starting with solutions for advertisers to create their own slideshows on the internet from digital cameras, the company moved into mobile imaging at the beginning of the year. Its first mobile service, Picmore, is rolling out to the newspaper industry. Picsure is the result of months of engagement with the Police and Local Authorities to develop a service to increase their involvement and communication with the public without extra administrative overhead.

Source: Youview Ltd

Contact: Fiona Brownsell, CEO, Youview Ltd, Phone: +44-(0)870-013-9333, Mobile: +44-(0)7786-913285, Fax: +44-(0)870-013-5800, Email: [email protected] . Youview Ltd, P.O. Box 107, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 6FJ

This company's web site http://www.youview.co.uk/

 

[Henry Bowman]

When they see graffiti, abandoned cars, fly-tipping or other problems detrimental to their local community

Is this anything like cow tipping?

 

[HighVelocity]

Henry beat me to it. What the heck is fly-tipping?

 

[Henry Bowman]

Google search reveals that it is the dumping of a large piece of unwanted junk (like appliances, etc.) that are otherwise hard to dispose of.

 

[2nd Amendment]

Nope, it's not a police state yet, just well on its way to becoming one. Both across the pond and here. Thing is, it's a new kind of police state and there will be people insisting it is NOT a police state even when the time arrives that every person is literally under some for of survellience 24/7.

 

[Too Many Choices!?]

Dang!

I just knew ,"Fly" tipping was the polite/ across the pond way of saying male public exposure

 

[thorn726]

ahh!!
sounds simialar to the high school practice of re locating lawn ornaments, only slightly worse..

this is too much.


then again--- REAlly= isnt this jsut te small town mentality finally finding its way into the big city???

i know most really small towns have a little old lady or two= always looking out the window, recording everything, reporting stuff, etc. everyone knows everything.

not that i like this idea, but an observation= for exaMPLE the town i used to visit in Canada (darn it my parents are there Now!)
the old snitch would go this far=
kid does burnouts with car on street. lady calls cops. cops track kid down and give him a ticket!

extreme, but still i bet there is similar "observation" of activites in smaller towns, in the big cities people just get away with it.

i really dislike the "antisocial" word, i mean this could apply to anything, but if somene dumped a FRIDGE on my lawn?? !!!
32.50 to take it to the dmup. i would be real happy if someone photod the clown who did it

 

[Cosmoline]

A busy body in a small town becomes a tyrant in the big city.

 

[GhostRider66]

How much exactly should one tip a fly?

 

[Henry Bowman]

How much exactly should one tip a fly?

15% is standard. More or less, depending on service. But be careful. Someone may be taking your picture and e-mailing to the anti-social behavior brigade.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Does anyone else find Anti-Social Behaviour Unit to be an Orwellian phrase?

Were he still alive, Orwell would have emigrated a long, long time ago.

 

[Atticus]

I thought fly tipping had something to do with Chippendales.
Oh well........what's wrong with having a government agency that actually serves the community? Try calling your municipal government to report annoying crap such as those mentioned.

 

[Iain]

Atticus - call me a cynic, but sending pretty photo's to people of things being done doesn't necessarily mean that actions will be taken.

We don't generally tip here. Flies are expected to make do on a standard hourly rate, tips are only for truly exceptional service.

 

[MechAg94]

Have any of you ever successfully tipped a cow?

 

[meef]

How much exactly should one tip a fly?

While I can't say for sure as to "exactly" - I'd say it should be at least enough to ensure one doesn't become entangled in it during reholstering, so to speak.

That really really hurts, you know.

 

[NMshooter]

Guess I need to get to work on that man-portable microwave based electronics killer...

It was going to be used only on particularly loud stereos at very late (or early) hours that woke me up, but I am forseeing other uses...

 

[XLMiguel]

Nanny-ism sucks. Though there may be some marginal social benefit to this nanny-nosey stuff, I'm more offended by the perverts that are doing the up-skirt/down blouse, restroom/locker room photography & net posting crap. Cell phones have really degraded civiltiy at least as much as they have helped or improved security, IMO.

 

[zahc]

I'd sign up, just to send tons of random pictures to them.

 

[Gung-Ho]

Does anyone else find Anti-Social Behaviour Unit to be an Orwellian phrase?

Just be happy they didn't call it the "Department of Truth."

Hey, you better stop that "Wrong-Thinking" right now....Big Brother IS watching you. :banghead:

Why does this make me think about cell towers and EFAD? (Enemies Foreign and Domestic.)

 

[thrifty7]

Big Brother?

The problem is not the phones (or cameras in general). It is the laws that are being enforced. This issue seems to really rile up a lot of people that I think should know better. They focus on privacy, and condemn what could be a revolutionary law enforcement tool. Imagine a world where there was absolutely no privacy in public places. After getting used to the idea, what harm would come to the law abiding? (Obviously, whenever privacy became necessary, one would enter a private place, just like we do now.) Now think of the effect on the criminal element....no shadows to hide in...no chance of their lies being beleived...no opportunity to do anything without it being recorded in some memory bank somewhere....crime would be a far less attractive option, I think. Of course it is not a perfect idea, and would need to be carefully managed, but I think that privacy in public places is something that I would gladly trade off for the above mentioned benefits. (Big Brothers cameras were in people's homes...their private places...very different from what I am suggesting.) Just food for thought...what do you think?

 

[Gung-Ho]

They focus on privacy, and condemn what could be a revolutionary law enforcement tool.

Imagine a world where there was absolutely no privacy in public places. After getting used to the idea, what harm would come to the law abiding?

Where are we going? And why are we in this handbasket?....Nothing to hide, so they can look all they want huh? Random searches on the street huh? Just the mere thought of this post must have our founding fathers doing about 300,000 RPM in their graves. You must excuse me now, I must go puke.

Hmmmmmm......after a little thought on this can you say...to the tune of Raw Hide.....Trolling Trolling Trolling, I have fun-a Trolling, Ha Ha!

 

[heypete]

I'd find it amusing if the citizenry started sending in photographs of totally non-criminal acts. Say, of rather insulting words meant to offend the authorities reading them? What about cars just driving down the road, doing nothing wrong? Random passers-by? Police cars? Other people with camera phones?

I would imagine the signal-to-noise ratio would be quite poor.

 

[Atticus]

I really find it hard to defend British style Big -brotherhood (or any other actually) but...........

Imagine a world where there was absolutely no privacy in public places.

Since when are public places private?

I'd find it amusing if the citizenry started sending in photographs of totally non-criminal acts.

Dumping old appliances, spray painting graffitti, and dumping junk cars is not illegal? Where....West Virginia?

 

[Vernal45]

HMM, I wonder if they reported the London Bombings to the Anti Social Behaviour Unit.???

 

[Crosshair]

I see some people getting their phone shoved up their . Like anyone is going to not notice someone taking a picture with their phone. If they are far enough away (so they don't get the privilege of getting beaten a new face) the phones have crap for zoom and the pics would be useless.