Thursday, January 04, 2007
Two Sides of a Question
PR frequently gets involved in issues where one can argue for either side. This is one. It is a tale of surveillance cameras versus loss of privacy. We don't like the notion that we are being watched unless there is a crime. Then, we do. Unfortunately, there is no way to maintain privacy and surveillance at the same time. There are those who consider surveillance an example of encroaching government on the lives of citizens. There are others who feel safer because cameras are watching. Both are right.
This is an issue that reflects times and temperament. There have been periods when unwarranted surveillance was a crime. Today, post 9/11, no one thinks as much about it. Tomorrow, who knows? It is unlikely cameras will ever go away, and we will be watched more closely than ever. That seems creepy until one reads a story like this. Yet, it is easy to construct a PR campaign on either side of the surveillance issue, and there is no "meta" position I can discover.
This is an issue that reflects times and temperament. There have been periods when unwarranted surveillance was a crime. Today, post 9/11, no one thinks as much about it. Tomorrow, who knows? It is unlikely cameras will ever go away, and we will be watched more closely than ever. That seems creepy until one reads a story like this. Yet, it is easy to construct a PR campaign on either side of the surveillance issue, and there is no "meta" position I can discover.
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