For your own safety lah!

Singaporeans are (getting) used to the idea of dozens of CCTVs monitoring them all over the island, often accompanied by nice, feel-good signboards that inform us that it is all for ‘your own safety.’ This article is required reading for all who buy that line without questioning.

The basic flaw in the ‘your own safety’ argument for increased surveillance is this: You simply can’t monitor all of these cameras effectively in real-time. Which means these cameras do little to prevent crimes - they just help in solving them after they’ve been committed. In other words, they come into play only after your safety has been compromised!

A nice talkingcock.com comic to go with this post.