Photography & Surveillance

After reading several of the articles pertaining to this weeks topic of photography and surveillance I am shocked to discover that it is illegal to record any police interaction unless the officer is made aware of the recording. If the cops are being fair and justice then I am not sure how it is right that a person cannot record what is taking place. It seems like with all of the new technology we have in the world, using it in court to prove innocence would be a helpful strategy for people. I also think the lawmakers need to think about all of the monitoring that goes on everyday to watch citizens in shopping malls, as one of the articles described, on the streets, in schools, etc. How is it fair that the public cannot record lawmakers but they can record our every move? I found this weeks reading even further more interesting because just last night I was talking to a friend about how much the public is actually monitored. She told me that the computer videos we assume are just for skyping and taking private pictures, can actually be controlled by the government to see someone if they needed to. This all seems like factual information you learn about on shows such as Law and Order, but I think it is true that the government has way more power over the public than we really realize and it all begins with photographic monitoring. I am shocked that many people are so comfortable sending private pictures to one another. The hommer website was a great example of how you cannot predict when your private photos will be leaked to the public and you cannot rely on technology devices to stay private. I think the idea one of the authors proposed about holding your camera up to the security cameras one day is a great one because it shows that the public is not willing to standby and have our privacy diminished for an act of security that does not even show to work in many cases.