The proliferation of cameras in all imaginable spaces has turned some societies into a kind of Big Brother. One of the most extreme cases is China, where they have been using to punish or reward citizens. Yes, there, these cameras allow to identify those who cross the street with the red traffic light and to be sanctioned by it. They even prevent buying a simple train ticket from those who have pending debts.
Also in Chinese schools, cameras help track students and thus adapt teaching methods to different concentration levels. “Video surveillance also allows in China to analyze the mood of customers to customize advertising in real time,” he explains to the electoral.es Bruno Azula, sales director for Spain and Portugal of Axis Communications. This company has its cameras deployed from the urban buses of Madrid to critical infrastructures, industries …
The General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD) of the European Union prevents this AI and facial recognition technology from being legal in the old continent. “These uses would be unthinkable in Europe due to the strict regulation of privacy and data protection, which puts limits on how companies and governments can use citizens’ personal information,” he adds. But at the same time applaud that regulation because “it establishes a clear framework for the ethical and responsible use of video surveillance cameras.” “It is not about preventing its use, but ensuring that the collection and processing of personal data respect the privacy of citizens,” he justifies.
And, despite those limitations, the cameras that we usually find everywhere – as happened to the good of Jim Carrey in ‘The Truman’ – show – they find many other utilities beyond the simple surveillance or prevention of forest fires … in the factories, those cameras are being used “to guarantee that the workers comply with the safety regulations, automatically detect Adequate, such as helmets, gloves and footwear, “explains Axis spokesman. Also in the residences of the elderly, the alert when a resident’s fall occurs. “In hospitals, they have been used to improve flow management without compromising patient privacy,” he adds.
If we go out, in the field of urban mobility, these eyes that see everything are being used to analyze traffic patterns and optimize circulation in large cities. Even when we are having fun in an event or concert, the cameras analyze the distribution of the public and help prevent agglomerations and improve the viewer’s experience through the dynamic adjustment of lighting and sound. And all this, complying with the European Data Protection Regulation. Because for that there is also technology: “Dynamic masking of sensitive areas and real -time data anonymization allow to extract valuable information without compromising individual rights. Instead of limiting the use of cameras, the GDPR drives more intelligent and safe solutions. The key is not to choose between safety and intimacy, but in finding the appropriate balance. How far can we get?
When we ask you to give examples, you mention the possibility of already performing voice searches and asking the recording system to locate workers with the uniform of this or that company or yellow transport vehicles. “Although it seems basic, this could not be done before due to the need for complex technical parameters. This advance facilitates the management of large volumes of data, improving operational efficiency and decision making, “explains Bruno Azula.
We take the opportunity to know what are the most complex, strange or curious applications for which the cameras are using. “In the maritime field, for example, these devices have been used on the high seas to monitor fishing captures, remotely registering the size and species of fish in order to guarantee compliance with fishing regulations and promote sustainability,” explains the axis spokesman. Without abandoning nature, these solutions have also allowed the protection of species in different habitats, as in wind farms, where an alarm system alerts to birds in flight and thus prevent collisions with the mills. “Similarly, they have been used for monitoring of the Iberian lynx and other protected species, facilitating the observation and study of their behavior in their natural environment.” Put to monitor animals, are serving in an animal welfare research project to measure cats and analyze their rest patterns.
And, if we go shopping, we may also find these cameras to try the clothes virtually and see how we have left from very different angles. And even to share those images then by social networks … the truth is that either to prevent a breakdown in a critical infrastructure, so that we enjoy better of a concert or to make decisions that improve traffic in a city, these already omnipresent eyes, now driven by AI, are multiplying their possible uses. And they tell us that this is just the beginning …
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