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Public concern at cameras in cabs
Source: Xinhua |
September 21, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
HAN Yun said she felt uneasy when she saw a black camera in front of the passenger seat of the taxi she was in.
"It made me uncomfortable, I feel like I'm being watched all the time," she said.
Han is one of a number of residents in Wuhu City in eastern China's Anhui Province who are against the installation of the cameras.
Wuhu's taxi management department plans to have a device combining a global positioning system and a camera be installed in all the city's 3,024 taxis by the middle of next month.
Yao Aihui, the department's director, said the camera would be activated when a driver switched on the meter. Audio-visual recordings would be made of each trip.
"If the taxi driver is in danger, he can push an alarm button, and the surveillance center will be alerted immediately. Meanwhile, a distress signal - 'Being robbed, please call the police' - will appear on the LED screen at the rear of the taxi," Yao said.
The surveillance center and police alarm system are linked so the police can know what's going on inside the taxi, find the taxi's position and take quick action if need be.
"Although crimes in taxis are not very common in the city, being a taxi driver is a high-risk job, especially at night. We hope to use the device to deter crime and better protect the drivers," said Yao.
Taxi driver Li Ning, who supports the plan, said: "Working at nights can be very dangerous for us. Without such protection, I would avoid taking drunk men and idle punks. Those people might cause trouble and could even jeopardize the driver's life," he said.
But most residents oppose the plan. Yang Yu, a university student, questioned whether there wasn't another way to keep taxis safe.
"I feel like I'm being watched by someone, and my privacy violated. I think there must be more passenger-friendly ways," said Yang.
Lawyer Wang Jun said if passengers' audio-visual records were disclosed or sold for profit, then their privacy and other rights would be violated.
But according to the taxi department, records will be kept for just a month and only police officers can request to see the recordings.
"It made me uncomfortable, I feel like I'm being watched all the time," she said.
Han is one of a number of residents in Wuhu City in eastern China's Anhui Province who are against the installation of the cameras.
Wuhu's taxi management department plans to have a device combining a global positioning system and a camera be installed in all the city's 3,024 taxis by the middle of next month.
Yao Aihui, the department's director, said the camera would be activated when a driver switched on the meter. Audio-visual recordings would be made of each trip.
"If the taxi driver is in danger, he can push an alarm button, and the surveillance center will be alerted immediately. Meanwhile, a distress signal - 'Being robbed, please call the police' - will appear on the LED screen at the rear of the taxi," Yao said.
The surveillance center and police alarm system are linked so the police can know what's going on inside the taxi, find the taxi's position and take quick action if need be.
"Although crimes in taxis are not very common in the city, being a taxi driver is a high-risk job, especially at night. We hope to use the device to deter crime and better protect the drivers," said Yao.
Taxi driver Li Ning, who supports the plan, said: "Working at nights can be very dangerous for us. Without such protection, I would avoid taking drunk men and idle punks. Those people might cause trouble and could even jeopardize the driver's life," he said.
But most residents oppose the plan. Yang Yu, a university student, questioned whether there wasn't another way to keep taxis safe.
"I feel like I'm being watched by someone, and my privacy violated. I think there must be more passenger-friendly ways," said Yang.
Lawyer Wang Jun said if passengers' audio-visual records were disclosed or sold for profit, then their privacy and other rights would be violated.
But according to the taxi department, records will be kept for just a month and only police officers can request to see the recordings.
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