Have you ever noticed that almost everywhere you go there are cameras? They are in schools, rinks, stores, in bigger cities even on the streets. Some people even have them in or on their houses. This summer we were in Toronto with my one brother and they have cameras and every time they would sense motion the sea gulls would make their noise which in turn would make the dog bark. When my brother would check his phone most of the time it was an animal that had been detected. In the evenings or late at night it was the family of racoons that live in the neighborhood. For someone that lives in a small town I was torn between understanding and thinking that this was a bit excessive. I understand wanting to be safe and know who is on your property but if every time an animal passes a camera it sets it off I think we need to re-examine the technology we are using.
Do you have a doorbell camera or a camera at your house? If so is it this sensitive? Do you find yourself constantly checking to see what or who might have been at your house?
At many rinks they now use a system called LiveBarn which allows those who have a subscription to watch practices, general skates, shinny and games. I have a difficult time with this in some ways as I do not think that it should be able to be viewed if it is a practice, general skate or shinny. I think that these are times in which it could easily be blacked out. I think that we have to still remember that there are people out there that are predators and they can see that there are certain kids that are always at the rink in this community for general skate or shinny they can become a target. It can also become a privacy issue depending on where the mic is located. I know that in our rink it is right above the score keepers box. I dislike being in there as anything that you say can be heard. You can also hear the coaches talking from time to time.
So, when is the use of technology in this form too much? Are there ways in which it could be limited? Does your rink use LiveBarn? If so is it on all the time?
At the school we had cameras installed because of high school kids coming and vandalizing our school yard. After they were installed we not only notified our school families but also had the high school let their students know that there were now cameras. The RCMP were also notified. I had to also remind my staff that these cameras are present as when you are out on supervision they see and hear what you are talking about. It is shocking at how the simple presence of them has deterred the students that we had at our school causing all of the issues from continuing to do this. I am glad that even in Grade 12 they want to come and play basketball at the school in the evenings and that we have lights so that they can do this. I just expect for them to be respectful and to use common sense and not be driving all over the school yard, breaking glass and drinking.
Does your school have cameras? Do you find them beneficial or a hindrance? If your school does not have do you think that the presence of them would be beneficial?
I 100% understand that people want their privacy but I also think that we are living in a day and age where there are places that we go in which we should expect that we are going to be on camera whether we like it or not.
This is such an interesting topic Andrea — one that I have recently gone down a bit of a rabbit hole with: Privacy.
Part of my final project involves ethical use of AI apps and platforms to support engaging instructional cycles for teachers. As part of this, I started to look into safety certifications — how is student data protected? There are a number of compliance badges/seals that give users peace of mind such as COPPA, or Derka certifications. The Government of Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner has requirements for businesses such as PIPEDA, and released a very interesting report on Edsby in 2020: https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/opc-actions-and-decisions/investigations/investigations-into-businesses/2021/pipeda-2021-002/
So going back to your question about cameras, I think that the type of cameras used, who has access and by what standards it is considered secure matters. Your fears about who has access are completely valid! We have a closed circuit camera on our one school bus (it has 50 riders). To access files, I need a special disk reader and it is locked. I would be very concerned about a web based camera in the school that anyone could access.
This is a conversation we have had at our house and in social situations when discussing the rink camera. Different rinks have different settings. Some are on all of the time, and others have to be “turned on” for specific game times. While I understand the concept of not having it on all of the time, as a mom who often needs to be in two places at once, I become very frustrated that the camera isn’t “on” for one of my children’s games when I pay a hefty subscription. I sometimes wonder if getting rid of the audio would be a good idea, but in another sense does it help protect and support our young refs when people are often yelling at them. Another topic at our house-dog camera. I would like one to check on our puppy, feed him treats, and hopefully help with his separation anxiety. On the other hand, it gives me the creeps that my husband could be watching without me knowing. Am I worried about what he would see? No! Not at all. I have nothing to hide, but like you said, it becomes an issue of privacy, and we shouldn’t have to change the way we act, especially in our own homes.
I have become so immune to seeing cameras everywhere, that I don’t see cameras everywhere. You know what I mean? It’s just one of those things that I have grown accustomed to, which is sad really. That’s what “big brother” wants I suppose. Our complacency on the matter.
As for cameras in the school, we have them strategically placed in our hallways. They have been very beneficial in confirming thefts, bullying, skipping classes, vandalism and so on. Ours is a web based system, that our IT guy and myself have access to. When something goes down, staff will say, check the cameras and most times, they capture what we’re looking for. They have been a blessing so far.