All users of Toronto transit system to be photographed
By June 2008, every person using Toronto’s transit system — there are 1.5 million of them daily — will be photographed; 12,000 minicameras are being installed on every bus, streetcar, subway car, and at each station
The United Kingdom is often referred to as the “Surveillance Nation,” but it appears that the province of Ontario, Canada, is going to give it a run for its money. Plans are underway to ensure every person using Toronto’s transit system will be photographed as of next June. The Toronto Sun reports as many as 12,000 minicameras are being installed on every bus, streetcar, subway car, and at each station. The cameras will snap photos of each of the 1.5 million people who ride the TTC daily. If requested, transit authorities will make the images available to police, but only as a crime-busting tool. The remote-controlled cameras cost $18 million, about one-third paid for by the federal government.
In addition, workers or police at the transit system’s command centre will be able to view live video or hear audio from any of the security cameras installed on subway cars.
