A View of the Future

Nov 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Stephanie Silk

The Surveillance Studies Network, a group of British academics, have come out with a study entitled “A Report on the Surveillance Society” — a look ahead to 10 years in the future. The vision is based on existing technology and statements made about the intentions of British government. Could the report provide a glimpse into what may happen on this side of the pond?

AIRPORT

Images of faces, irises and fingers are taken at passport control and are then compared to the images on the passport. A machine reads the passport and data on the built-in RFID chip, including all citizenship, immigration, visa and criminal justice data, along with health information. The information gets compared to that on an existing database.

SHOPPING

Shoppers considered “valuable” by a specific store — those logged by RFID scanners at the doors and determined to be good, high-paying customers — can be offered membership in a “cashless” scheme. Consumers receive an implanted chip that can store money, and they can pay by scanning their arm, thus avoiding being a target for muggers, pickpockets or fraud.

SCHOOL

A cashless card system in schools allows families to monitor what their children eat. The card also holds data on attendance, achievement, extra-curricular activities, drug test results and Internet access.

RESIDENTIAL

Public-area CCTV has almost entirely become Open-Circuit Television (OCTV), and live video from local surveillance cameras can be viewed on security channels through digital television. If a subject on the video is seen as a threat, the region where it is found can be subject to an “area-wide curfew.”

DRIVING

Leaving a residential community, gates swing open automatically after reading a car's license plate number. The system notes exact time of departure, and the number and identity of the driver and passengers.

PUBLIC

Surveillance Security and surveillance have been designed into many buildings through their infrastructure and architecture. Many important state buildings, which had been surrounded by concrete barricades after 2001, now appear open once again, but are instead protected by a variety of sensors linked to impenetrable automated barricades that sink into the ground when not needed. Ubiquitous wireless CCTV cameras are freed from bulky boxes and wires and are embedded in lampposts at eye level and in walls. The cameras are linked to street lighting, which is set to the ideal condition for operation of facial recognition software.

SECURITY GUARDS/POLICE

Private security guards are remotely supervised by police operators via their handheld computers and helmet-mounted cameras. After a run-in, arrest or ticketing by police, the person's handheld computer is tracked, and he or she is put on a watch list that monitors all Internet traffic and e-mail communications. These records are saved and passed to police.

JOB

During the application process, employees are subject to biometric and psychometric tests, and lifestyle surveys, which can indicate to management whether the employees' attitudes and lifestyle are compatible with company values and culture. After hire, employees are monitored continuously via a computer that records every activity they perform, how long they perform it and how well they do. Periodic biometric testing alerts the employer to any physical or mental health problems. Gym attendance shows up on an electronic employment record, and employees who do not attend the gym regularly sometimes face questions about their lifestyle in their annual appraisal.

RETIREMENT

Rooms at retirement complexes will consist of motion detectors, an inbuilt heart rate monitor in the bath, a device in each toilet that measures blood sugar levels and kitchens with sensors that detect gas leaks, fire and floods. RFID scanners in the fridge and cupboards will tell household management each time a resident is running low on groceries, and food is subsequently ordered over the Internet.

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