Dear Editor,

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Recently on YouTube, I stumbled upon a live feed of areas in Half-Way-Tree from a camera sponsored by Tastee. While it is well-intended, this footage should only be monitored by professionals that have agreed to acceptable behaviours and ethics.

A live YouTube feed of a major city isn’t new or unheard of, as Times Square, New York, and other cities worldwide follow this practice. However, the difference is that those cameras are positioned in a general area at specific angles, no licence plates are visible from the camera and no individual can be identified going about their business.

I find that broadcasting images from the camera in Half-Way-Tree is very irresponsible as the footage allows for the identification of faces and licence plate numbers but, more importantly, there is a clear view of the people who enter and exit the Scotiabank automated teller machine (ATM).

While security footage is a powerful tool that can be used to solve and prevent crimes, it defeats the purpose when criminal elements can access the footage. With this access, criminals can identify blind spots within the town where they can execute their crimes.

Also, this tool, which has been implemented to prevent crime or identify criminals, can be used by criminal elements to track and observe the routines of potential victims. They can identify when people visit the ATM and how often they do so to predict future behaviours to complete robberies.

As someone who has family members who are taxi drivers I am particularly concerned that the live YouTube feed can be used to identify which taxis — driver and plate number — are parked alongside Brooklyn Supermarket at any time — day or night. This is a direct safety concern as it gives criminal elements an extra set of eyes to identify taxis to rob.

While I understand that the camera is in a public space and there may be no breach of privacy, I feel the need to highlight that this camera system and how it is being used is a potential safety hazard, thereby putting people at risk.

I have no issue with the public having access to a live feed of Half-Way-Tree; however, this camera system is very powerful and should not be accessed by everyone.

We must ask ourselves what we are trying to achieve with the JamaicaEye programme. If he goal is to protect and prevent citizens from becoming victims of criminal activity, this is not how we go about it.

Jamaica is home to very creative people who are always looking for an edge to beat or a way to manipulate the system. It is simply a matter of time, if it has not already happened, that criminals will start to utilise this live feed to assist with their crimes.

My recommendation is to position the camera with the public feed at a less conspicuous and elevated angle and leave the most detailed features to be accessed by the police.

Adrean A Gentles

gentlesadrian123@gmail.com