The answer surprised me. In Great Britain there is one surveillance-dedicated video camera for every fourteen people. Commentator Randall Parker discusses the implications for crime prevention (see the link). I wonder if another factor is not operating as well: the British trust their government not to misuse the taped material. It is harder to imagine the Americans, the French, or the Germans agreeing to a similar level of surveillance, albeit for somewhat differing reasons.
Robin Hanson likes to discuss (but not advocate) the prospect of a future world where all public activity is monitored by video camera, or a comparable but more advanced device. Of course people could leave the territory but otherwise this would mean no violent public crime and no ability to escape the accidental damage you cause. The level of adultery might go down, depending on how the information was used and when the recorded information would be accessible by subpoena. Many jury trials could be very different, and might consist of little more than watching and interpreting videotapes. A more radical proposal calls for the government to make the entire tape available on-line, perhaps in a searchable fashion. This would equalize the information between citizens and government, make lying harder, and allow you to watch the public life of your favorite candidate, including his time in the National Guard.
If you are worried about avoiding cameras now, here are some pointers.
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