Keep customers safe from prying ‘eyes’

Mar 21 2008 by Bill Oldfield, The Journal

I’VE just been flying over our house. Not in a plane like you’d expect but courtesy of some government satellite and those nice people who provide Google Earth for free. I love Google Earth. It gives the man in the street the opportunity to do what only pilots of light aircraft and hot air balloons have been able to before – nose about in the neighbour’s back yard.

With glee I discovered that the photo they’d taken from the sky was almost exactly 20 months old because I recognised the cars in our driveway belonging to people we only invite to significant parties. And 20 months ago I had a very significant birthday accompanied by a large party.

Then my glee turned to a feeling of discomfort. The last time I looked at our gaff via Google Earth the picture comprised a fuzzy outline which I recognised only because we’ve lived there and got to know the area for the last few years and, being the man of the house, I’m not too bad at map reading.

If I go back on in another few months time what will I see then? Weeds in the garden? The illegal use of a hosepipe? Compromising activity at a party? Me, drinking my first cup of coffee in the morning? Scary.

We hear and read a lot about the surveillance society that’s developed in this country over the last few years. For instance, the UK has 1% of the world’s population but 20% of its CCTV cameras – that’s one for every 14 people. And if you happen to live in a city you’re rarely out of view. It’s been suggested that the average Londoner may be monitored by up to 300 cameras every day.

It seems that along with ID cards and a DNA database, the plethora of information held on each and every one of us means we’re rapidly becoming a nation of people that will soon have to prove our innocence rather than carry a presumption of not guilty until proven otherwise.

But before you think I’m paranoid, what do you think of the idea of being filmed while in a restaurant? I think that most of us feel that an evening for two in a quiet corner sharing a glass of wine or two is one moment when privacy is paramount.

After all, you don’t want anyone recording you and your spouse spitting venom or you taking the opportunity to grovel to the boss. And then, of course, there’s always the illicit meetings. I know that doesn’t apply to you but we all know people to which it does.

Most restaurants have CCTV cameras in them these days, ostensibly for security reasons, and there are very strict rules about the way the recordings are stored and used. So your friends should be safe from these cameras. But it’s important for our industry that all our potential customers should feel free to dine out without threat.

So I appeal to all my fellow restaurateurs to ensure that, if they do have CCTV, make sure there are at least one or two tables just out of camera-sight to enable private romantic liaisons. These could be known as the CCTVF tables - with the ‘F’ standing for ‘free’ of course.

But it’s a serious issue this always being watched. There are those that say that if you’ve nothing to hide you’ve nothing to fear. Fine. But who’s watching the watchers? And watching what they’re doing with their data?

Living in the country I thought my wife and I were free from the Big Brother prediction that’s come to be true. Google Earth has shown me that I’m going to have to watch my wife’s sunbathing and keep the curtains closed at home.

And I’d suggest that even if there’s no internal CCTV, if you and your friend aren’t supposed to be there, don’t sit too close to the window in restaurants.