It has been said that the UK has the largest number of CCTV cameras watching us compared to anywhere in the world.

There is something slightly sinister about seeing a small dome of glass silently and unemotionally peering back at you, reminiscent of HAL in "2001 - a space odyssey". It almost brings me out into cold sweats knowing I am being constantly watched. I am one of those people that gets instantly nervous when being watched... despite having nothing to hide.

I did a quick tally of the amount of cameras I could see while going the 2 miles to work today... I counted 27 cameras before I even pulled into the car park. I know for certain that the building I work in has a very high tech security system comprising of dozens of camera per floor. A educated guess for the camera count would put it at nearly 60 units by the time I strolled into my office.

What is the point of these cameras? Who watches them? Why? It is said that this is done in the name of security... but for whom?
We are rapidly heading towards George Orwell's vision of the future. "Nineteen Eighty-Four". A scary insight into a possible future of totalitarian government.

"This is our land. A land of peace and of plenty. A land of harmony and hope. This is our land. Oceania. These are our people. The workers, the strivers, the builders. These are our people. The builders of our world, struggling, fighting, bleeding, dying. On the streets of our cities and on the far-flung battlefields. Fighting against the mutilation of our hopes and dreams. Who are they?"

We should all exercise our rights under the Data Protection Act to request all footage of us on camera. With enough requests from people they will struggle under the load, and make the camera network ineffectual.

So for a little homework for you, how many cameras can you count that are pointing in your direction while going to work. Don't include ones that can't see you... they don't count.

Maybe we should create a map with all camera locations and what field of vision they have... there will be a safe haven somewhere out of the view of the camera. At least I can find somewhere to read a book without feeling like someone is watching me over my shoulder.