HD CCTV: safeguard against crime or the end of democracy?

Advances in surveillance technology mean some CCTV cameras can now recognise a face in a crowd from half a mile away

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CCTVA truly unexpected hero of 2016, Close Circuit Television managed to become a major truth teller in a number of the year's biggest scandals. When US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte decided to lie about being mugged at gunpoint in Rio this year, he had
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THE SPREAD of high-definition CCTV cameras has prompted calls for better privacy laws and regulation. But some members of the public say they feel safer with better surveillance technology.

CCTV can now achieve image resolutions of up to 29 megapixels – more than cameras used by many professional photographers. Some cameras can pick out a face in a crowd from half a mile away and manufacturer's figures suggest there will be 129,299 HD CCTV cameras in the UK by the end of 2012.

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