Pixiq

It is only fitting that the city that encourages its citizens to report anybody conducting “excessive photography/filming” also happens to be the one with the most cameras watching its citizens.

Chicago has an estimated 10,000 cameras installed throughout the city, including private and public sector cameras, making up a single network accessible by police.

Even London, with its 500,000 cameras throughout the city, doesn’t include private sector cameras in its network. But with that many cameras, they probably don’t need to.

According to The Associated Press:

In less than a decade and with little opposition, the city has linked thousands of cameras — on street poles and skyscrapers, aboard buses and in train tunnels — in a network covering most of the city. Officials can watch video live at a sprawling emergency command center, police stations and even some squad cars.

“I don’t think there is another city in the U.S. that has as an extensive and integrated camera network as Chicago has,” said Michael Chertoff, the former Homeland Security secretary.

New York has plenty of cameras, but about half of the 4,300 installed along the city’s subways don’t work. Other cities haven’t been able to link networks like Chicago. Baltimore, for example, doesn’t integrate school cameras with its emergency system and it can’t immediately send 911 dispatchers video from the camera nearest to a call like Chicago can.

So again I must ask. If Big Brother can watch us, why can’t Little Brother watch them?