It's not always easy to catch the cameras pointing at you. Chances are good that there's at least one in the nearest convenience store. A sign on the door at the Newark Wilmington Trust asks patrons to remove hats when entering the building. The better to capture a face on film?
What is privacy, and where are you entitled to it? Is a discussion on a pay phone private? What about on a wireless phone? How about on a wireless phone while strolling down the public sidewalk? If a camera is in a public place, and points to a window, are the actions in plain view of the camera protected by privacy laws? When a camera on private property points to a public area, who do the images captured belong to?
Those questions aren't answered in the Wilmington News Journal's article on surveillance camers, but a good number of other questions are raised. See: Lots of cameras watch you - and catch criminals.
Here's an interesting scenerio. Delaware's bus service, DART, uses five cameras per bus, inside and out, to help in liability claims. Sometimes those cameras capture more than passengers:
DART has had about 10 requests from police departments asking if the agency had a bus in the area when a crime occurred. "We determine what bus was involved, go out and hook up a laptop, and have video of the location and time frame they're looking for," Ford said.Next time you're in Wilmington, or on Main Street in Newark, see how many cameras you can spot.
