Crowdsourcing CCTV surveillance on the Internet

Abstract

This article provides an exploratory overview of crowdsourced surveillance of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage over the Internet. Although the use of CCTV in both public and private surveillance is well documented, footage is now distributed over the Internet for large crowds to monitor. This article briefly introduces the concept of crowdsourcing and explains its shift from a quasi-communitarian mode of production to a business model and crime-fighting strategy. This is followed by a review of relevant scholarly literature that provides a theoretical basis for understanding crowdsourcing as it applies to CCTV surveillance online. This article then considers four case studies of crowdsourced CCTV surveillance on the Internet. These four UK-based examples provide an overview of an emerging phenomenon of how crowds can be integrated into CCTV surveillance, ranging from identifying suspects to designating suspicious behaviour in everyday activity. This article concludes by considering the broader social risks, extending from literature on CCTV, surveillance and crowdsourced labour.