Have you heard about Internet Eyes? A UK firm, Internet Eyes, will let you play crime-fighter from home via your internet connection, and reward you for it. According to Internet Eyes, the sole purpose is to enable responsible members of the public to use the latest technology to help shopkeepers and the police combat the serious social harm that shoplifting causes. Viewers will monitor live camera feeds and instantly alert you when a suspected crime is committed.
Now, being watched by security and security cameras in stores isn't new, but being watched on the caliber that Internet Eyes purposes is beyond an invasion of privacy. It's simply creepy. Whenever I go shopping, I go to get away from it all. It's my time to chill and do something good for me. The thought of security cameras and personnel watching me is the last thing on my mind. But if Internet Eyes becomes legal worldwide I believe the joy and peace of mind that shopping brings would be ruined.
Beyond Internet Eyes being an obvious invasion of privacy, I believe that I would be attacked and targeted based on the color of my skin. Racial prejudice, racial profiling and stereotyping will be at an all-time high. According to ABCNews, racial profiling in stores is so prevalent that researchers have even given it a name -- Shopping While Black. When it happens, black shoppers are made to feel both unwelcome and under suspicion. This social experiment by ABC gives perfect insight: Shopping While Black - Social Experiment In a 2007 Gallup survey, 47 percent of black people surveyed said they are not treated equally by retailers. More than one-quarter of those surveyed felt they were targeted because of their race while shopping in the last 30 days. I can only imagine this number rising with the implementation of Internet Eyes. The lyrics to the 1984 Rockwell single "Somebody's Watching Me" becomes relevant again.
I'm just an average man
With an average life
I work from nine to five
Hey, hell, I pay the price
All I want is to be left alone
In my average home
But why do I always feel
Like I'm in the twilight zone
And (I always feel like)
(Somebody's watching me)
And I have no privacy
Referenced Websites
Internet Eyes, CCTV Monitoring
http://interneteyes.co.uk/
Rockwell Lyrics - Somebody's Watching Me
'Shopping While Black': Would You Stop Racism
http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/story?id=7131333&page=1
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