I am so glad I graduated from my high school 16 years ago and was not around for this utter shite.
It is Web-based, so [Vice Principal Pat] Chabot looks up the videos on his computer. He can also track people along the cameras as they go from place to place on campus.
"It's digital, we can go back at least a week, possibly two weeks," Chabot said. "What's neat is I can just type in whatever time and date and I can see what happened."
Internet security and privacy issues at the very least aside, again, I thank god I graduated from this godforsaken place in 1992 when all we had to worry about were hapless narcs who looked like 1983 and asked you for weed after talking to you for 15 minutes.
Sorry, the impetus for these cameras does not sound like protecting students, but more like Panopticon shenanigans. Welcome to the real world, kiddies. I'm glad to see that my government's excuses for gross privacy violations in the name of the smallest bit of security are finally filtering down into the redneck high schools of NorCali.
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
It is Web-based, so [Vice Principal Pat] Chabot looks up the videos on his computer. He can also track people along the cameras as they go from place to place on campus.
"It's digital, we can go back at least a week, possibly two weeks," Chabot said. "What's neat is I can just type in whatever time and date and I can see what happened."
Internet security and privacy issues at the very least aside, again, I thank god I graduated from this godforsaken place in 1992 when all we had to worry about were hapless narcs who looked like 1983 and asked you for weed after talking to you for 15 minutes.
Sorry, the impetus for these cameras does not sound like protecting students, but more like Panopticon shenanigans. Welcome to the real world, kiddies. I'm glad to see that my government's excuses for gross privacy violations in the name of the smallest bit of security are finally filtering down into the redneck high schools of NorCali.
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Labels: not wasting my tax money, politics, ranting
posted by Ammie at 9:59 PM
3 Comments:
Wow. This is truly saddening. While I can understand the benefits of catching thieves, losing one's privacy is too high a price. Every time we use technology to enforce ethics and behavior, we strip individuals of their right to make free-will-choices, and instead place the responsibility solely in the means of the technology. Unfortunately, what that does is, psychologically, removes ethical behavior from folks as they do not learn the merits, costs, and ultimate rewards of right behavior--all they learn with things like cameras, the DMCA, and other invasive devices is how to subvert the machine. No longer is it a question of right and wrong, but instead becomes one of can and can't, which all depends on one's technical prowess. For a really full argument (which I will admit has shaped my thought), check out Siva Vaidhyanathan's book Anarchist in the Library. It talks more about copyright and DMCA then cameras, but the principles are identical (the ex-english teacher in me wants to say: "someone should talk about this principle with SHS's principal"--see, words are fun!).
My god, you so nailed it. It is these seemingly inconsequential things that are behind the why in our deterioration as a society.
It's funny, because as I was writing this post I decided against attempting to articulate "back in my day" and how I think candid interactions builds a teenager's sense of responsibility and allows for nurturing of necessary tools for their place in the world as an adult. Thank you for expounding. It scares me to think of what we're going to end up reaping from this.
You've been recommending that book for some time -- I will definitely have to find out where you've stashed it.
Also, nice use of the fuller, juicier "shite" variant. As someone currently coaching some recent migrants into Ireland through a course in Advanced Swearing, I may have to add this blog to their reading list.
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