Anyone who watches the news is likely to have witnessed, what the Huffington Post called the “crazy CCTV footage,” of the North Korean soldier defecting to the South Korean border back in November 2017. CCTV systems mark another apparent advancement within the field of news reporting, which have been brought about by recent advancements in technology. It is now an essential tool of both the journalist and also for other entities, such as the New Orleans Police Department, who are interested in surveillance.

We have seen these evolutions in reporting, though millions of people continue to enjoy their evening news radio listening.

Following the advent of television, viewers began to occasionally see news stories that bobbled up and down as the cameraperson and journalist went chasing after various persons and events in progress. Then came the smartphone videos and the citizen's press, which helped to fill in the blanks of a great many news stories. Up to the scope of news coverage today, and to what might be regarded as, ‘Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch’ CCTV camera views, Americans were able to watch the North Korean defector running to save his life, as he was shot at, in a way that resembled a narrated soap opera. Pictures and recordings of live events, as observed within the framework of ordinary news stories provide insights into the technologies utilized for surveillance.

Satellite technologies and the world of broadcasting.

The institutions concerned with various #satellite technologies and the world of broadcasting intersect at the most fundamental levels as satellites have become some of the essential tools of the trade. They are used to transmit pictures as information in a prompt manner and are also needed to meet the demands of what is now known as “the 24-hour news cycle,” says SatelliteToday.com.

“We have to make the decision of what resources we can get in, how much it’s going to cost and what’s the best way to get the pictures back to tell the story to our global audience,” says Frank Barnett, VP CNN satellites and transmissions.”

[h/t Satellite Today]

According to National Geographic, the city of London was an early adopter of CCTV surveillance, which has seen a 72% increase in CCTV cameras since the early 1990’s.

The expansion is reportedly the result of terrorist activities involving truck bombs, making Londoners some of the most intensely surveilled city dwellers in the world. A significant portion of the city contains more than 20 CCTV density cameras per square mile. These high definition cameras can really, see everything. They zoom in and out from all sides, kind of like a Hollywood movie shot with dozens of different angles.

Quasi-parabolic multi-beam antennas

Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, remains principle to the discussion. A Special Report by the Nautilus Institute published in May 2015, one year after Snowden’s release of his book “Nowhere to Hide,” in 2014, discussed the exponential expansion of the Five Eyes (FVEY) program.

FVEY is designed to intercept foreign satellite (FORNSAT) and communications satellites (COMSAT) with a technology known as Torus. Torus are “multiple advanced quasi-parabolic multi-beam antennas ~ which can intercept up to 35 communications beams.” It was revealed that these types of instruments were part of what was secretly referred to as the “Collect It All” program. One of the functions of this program was to increase access to global internet traffic. The Nautilus Special Report also describes the intelligence sharing agreements Five Eyes maintains with several other countries including Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland.

Besides a few revelations about the current level of CCTV coverage that is becoming arcane to the metropolis, it seems that there hasn't been much specific information available to provide an update on the #surveillance front since 2015.

Furthermore, the subject matter tends to be rather technical, and many feel that the data itself is highly sensitive and that knowing about it is unpatriotic. However, many questions remain, such as how ordinary citizens might become aware of what is 'now showing' outside their own front doors.
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