Smile, you are being watched
Gone are the days when a man could surreptitiously duck into an alley to readjust his trousers or take care of some other form of personal business. Chances are, that alley now has a security camera strategically positioned to capture images of all the goings-on.
Video cameras are everywhere these days – at the gas pump, in stores, in offices, inside and outside of homes, at traffic lights, in entryways to all manner of public buildings – and if you haven't figured it out yet, there are fewer and fewer places to get away from prying eyes.
As commercial drones become more widely used, now you even must beware of being spied on while fishing the river, strolling in the park or sunbathing at the beach.
And practically everyone has a cell phone with a camera capable of high-resolution still and video images. You don't even know if the person you just passed on the sidewalk photographed you as you went by.
It seems the only place that you are guaranteed full privacy today is in your own home with the lights off and the shades drawn.
While safety and security are the main reasons for the proliferation of video cameras, sometimes it seems that things have gotten out of hand. Are we really safer because of it? At what cost?
I guess we have permanently moved from the simpler era of decades past, when you only had to worry about Edna the neighborhood busybody who had a fondness for sitting behind slightly parted curtains and waiting for something – anything – to happen on the street in front of her house that she could turn into a gossip-worthy tidbit.
That was a time when ducking into an alley really was a way to find some privacy for whatever your need – a quick smoke out of sight of those who disapprove, a kissing session with your partner, a clothing adjustment or whatever.
With the proliferation of cameras, we all should adjust our behaviors accordingly to avoid having a private moment turn more public than ever before. Some such things have even gone viral on the Internet.
Imagine waking up one morning to a rash of messages from friends telling you that they saw you on YouTube doing something that you would not even want your closest friend to know about. That's a disturbing proposition at best.
These are intrusive times, times when you have to watch more closely than ever before what you say and do in public … even in private homes.
The best rule of thumb is to always assume that you are being recorded. If you don't, you never know when that off-the-cuff remark, mean-spirited comment or off-color joke could find its way into the open where everyone can draw their own conclusions about you and your intended meaning.
Yes, big brother is watching, as are little sister, second cousins and Aunt Nancy. It's a whole new world, one where our privacy no longer can be taken for granted. Sad, but true.
