Surveillance

Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior. Systems surveillance is the process of monitoring the behavior of people, objects or processes within systems for conformity to expected or desired norms in trusted systems for security or social control.

Although the word surveillance in French, literally means "watching over", the term is often used for all forms of observation or monitoring, not just visual observation. Nevertheless, the all-seeing "eye in the sky" is still a general icon of surveillance. Surveillance in many modern cities and buildings often uses closed-circuit television cameras. Although surveillance can be a useful tool for law enforcement and security companies, many people have concerns about the loss of privacy.

The word surveillance is commonly used to describe observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment or other technological means. For example:


 * eavesdropping
 * wiretapping
 * covert listening devices or "bugs"
 * subminiature cameras
 * closed-circuit television
 * night vision
 * GPS tracking
 * bait car
 * electronic tagging
 * reconnaissance
 * trusted computing devices
 * Internet and computer surveillance

However, surveillance also includes simple, relatively no- or low-technology methods such as direct observation, observation with binoculars, postal interception, or similar methods.