Public Safety

New Jersey Welcomes a New Surveillance State

Vanity Fair: Imagine a medium-size American city where every street is dotted with closed-circuit security cameras. Where citizens, or anyone with an Internet connection, can log online to view video feeds showing their neighbors, or strangers, walking to the grocery store or getting in their cars. Where police officers deputize the public to assist them by watching over the city and reporting any suspicious behavior. It sounds like an episode of Black Mirror, but it’s a reality for residents of Newark, New Jersey, The New York Times reports. The program, called Citizen Virtual Patrol, began in April with 62 cameras placed in locations with heavy foot traffic (nearby signs alert pedestrians, “This Area Is Under Video Surveillance”); eventually, there will be more than 100 additional cameras installed around the city, with video footage accessible from anywhere with a smartphone app.

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