International Edition
News
World
Sport
Technology
Entertainment
Style
Travel
Money
Regions
U.S.
China
Asia
Middle East
Africa
Europe
Americas
Video
Must Watch Videos
Shows
CNN en Español
TV
TV Shows
Schedule
Faces of CNN Worldwide
Features
Travel
All Features
Opinions
iReport
More…
Photos
Weather
CNN Mobile
Tools & Extras
CNN Profiles A-Z
CNN Leadership
CNN Arabic
CNN Español
CNN Mexico
CNN Facebook
CNN Twitter
CNN Google+
CNN Heroes
Impact Your World
CNN Freedom Project
After Boston: The pros and cons of surveillance cameras
By Heather Kelly, CNN
Updated 0003 GMT (0703 HKT) April 27, 2013
Bloomberg: More cameras a good thing
Bloomberg: More cameras a good thing 01:17
Story highlights
New technology makes it easier to identify suspects in surveillance photos and video
The Boston bombing suspects were identified on security-camera footage
Cities such as New York and London now have thousands of cameras on the streets
Facial-recognition software can detect age, gender and even moods
Even after the identification of the Boston bombing suspects through grainy security-camera images, officials say that blanketing a city in surveillance cameras can create as many problems as it solves.
A network of cameras on city streets and other public spaces increases the chances of capturing a criminal on video but can generate an overwhelming amount of evidence to sift through. The cameras make some people feel more secure, knowing that bad guys are being watched. But privacy advocates and other citizens are uneasy with the idea that Big Brother is monitoring their every public move.
Meanwhile, facial-recognition software and other technologies are making security-camera images more valuable to law enforcement. Now, software can automatically mine surveillance footage for information, such as a specific person's face, and create a giant searchable database.
After last week's bombings at the Boston Marathon, authorities had to sift through a mountain of footage from government surveillance cameras, private security cameras and imagery shot by bystanders on smartphones. It took the FBI only three days to release blurry shots of the two suspects, taken by a department store's cameras.
Compare their quick turnaround with the 2005 London bombings, when it took thousands of investigators weeks to parse the city's CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage after the attacks. The cameras, software and algorithms have come a long way in eight years.