Security cameras : why are people against them?

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

I don't have a problem with them philosophically, but it seems like they are usually going to cost more money than they are worth.  Unless you are using them to stop traffic violations, in which case I'm sure they pay for themselves.

[A18]

I don't oppose them in all cases, but one on every street is more than a little paranoid.

[Lunar]

I think the majority of people would change their minds if a crime was commited and they caught the guy/girl who did it through surveillance.

I think I'd change my mind on random pat downs (and just about every other privacy issue) if my life (or my family's) was at stake.  This logic, brought to its fruitation, is what justifies totalitarianism.  Security always sounds better than an intangible thing like privacy.  However, a line needs to be drawn, even an arbitrary one.

Whether that line should be past constant video surveillance of every city or not, I guess, is the debate.

I think practicality would also indicate that this is a silly idea.  Most significant crimes don't occur on street corners and well-lit streets.  Vandalism would be rampant against those cameras too.

[Max Power]

Maybe not, but some people don't like the idea that they are constantly being watched.

[TexasPatriot2024]

A camera on a street corner is in a public place. In public you dont have any privacy anyways so i dont see how it invades your privacy? You walk down the street and a camera sees you... so what? It might catch you leaving a dirty video store or picking your nose but why do you care? Up to 100 people might have seen you do the same thing on the streets of NYC. The cameras might catch a suspicious person or thousands of crimes a day. Im all for it.