Mass surveillance: Video surveillance

Contents

Mass video surveillance (also known as close-circuit television, or CCTV) is the large-scale collection, storage and analysis of video and audio data from video surveillance cameras. Mass video surveillance aims to capture the identity of people who pass through a space and to extend its coverage to as much space as possible. Some countries now have more surveillance cameras than citizens.

Collection

Sources of CCTV footage include:

CCTV cameras can vary widely in quality, range, night vision capabilities, presence of microphones, etc.

Storage

After its collection, CCTV footage is often stored for some time (from days to indefinite durations) before being erased.

Analysis

An adversary can analyze CCTV footage:

Analysis of CCTV footage can be performed:

See also

Used in tactics: Deterrence, Incrimination

Mitigations

NameDescription
Anonymous dress

You can dress anonymously to prevent an adversary from identifying you from CCTV footage.

Anonymous purchases

You can make anonymous purchases to prevent an adversary from identifying you from CCTV footage of physical stores.

Attack

You can disable surveillance cameras.

Biometric concealment

When filmed by surveillance cameras, you can:

  • To prevent gait recognition, wear baggy clothing that hide your body shape, use an umbrella or other concealing objects, or drastically change your walking style by adopting a “funny walk”.
  • To prevent facial recognition, wear a mask to cover your facial features, and sunglasses or a hat with a low brim to cover your eyes.
Outdoor and device-free conversations

You can conduct sensitive conversations away from surveillance cameras to prevent an adversary from recording those conversations with surveillance cameras equipped with microphones.

Reconnaissance

Before an action, you can identify the location of surveillance cameras at an action site and make plans to avoid them if possible.

Transportation by bike

You can use a bike instead of any other type of vehicle: compared to other vehicles, a bike is much harder to identify on CCTV footage, especially if its distinguishing features are minimized. For example, you can use a different stolen bike for each action you carry out.

Used in repressive operations

NameDescription
Case against Peppy and Krystal

CCTV footage from a bus allowed investigators to identify the license plate of the motorcycle on which Peppy and Krystal arrived at and left the protest site[1].

Repression of Lafarge factory sabotage

Immediately after the action, investigators requested CCTV footage from public transportation (buses, train stations, etc.), businesses, home surveillance systems, and municipal cameras, all within an extended perimeter of the action site[2]. In particular, footage of the interiors of buses appears to have helped identify people traveling to and from the action site[3]. Investigators also requested footage from highway toll booths, presumably to identify the occupants of known cars traveling on highways to or from the action site.

Repression of the first Jane's Revenge arson

CCTV footage helped identify a vehicle driven by the person, when they were seen entering a parking lot on foot after a demonstration, and the vehicle was seen leaving the same parking lot a few minutes later[4].

Case against Boris

Soon after the April sabotage, investigators requested CCTV footage from businesses and municipal cameras, and lists of vehicles from automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and speed cameras, all within an extended perimeter of the sabotage site[5].

2019-2020 case against Mónica and Francisco

Public CCTV footage was extensively used by investigators to reconstruct the movements of Mónica and Francisco before and during the actions, despite the mitigations they took (taking taxis, changing clothes, wearing disguises)[6].

The three from the park bench

On the evening leading up to the arrest, one of the people — while being followed by cops — stopped at a gas station and was seen by the station's video surveillance cameras buying gas and filling a gas can[7]. The cops obtained the CCTV footage the next morning.

Bure criminal association case

Investigators used footage from the demonstrations, recorded by surveillance cameras and police forces, to[8]:

  • Identify a person who was only partially masked, with their eyes, glasses, and forehead visible.
  • Match a person who looked pregnant based on their belly, seen in a demonstration, to a person who gave birth a few months later.
Prometeo

Two of the people were allegedly seen on video surveillance leaving a store where investigators believe the envelopes used to prepare the parcel bombs were purchased[9].

2013 case against Mónica and Francisco

Public CCTV footage was used by investigators to reconstruct the movements of Mónica and Francisco before and after the action[10]. This showed that they were near the action site shortly before the explosion of the device.