Darlene Storm

London's flying cameras spy shoelaces nearly a mile away; Will drones in the USA?

May 23, 2012 12:47 PM EDT

London's eye in the sky can see shoelaces from almost a mile away. Will drones in the USA see eye color?

In the cybersecurity quest to make London 2012 Olympics "safe from cyberattacks," the Olympics' Technology Operation Center has been working on simulated cyberattacks since last October. Despite the increased security on the ground, urbex ‘place hacker' Dr. Bradley Garrett still exploited physical security holes and breached a supposedly inaccessible area; he climbed the London Shard. The tightening of security brings us to the shocking capabilities of London's flying spies, cameras that monitor for threats.

NBC has a video about the newest security to monitor for threats during Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the Olympic Games this summer. The Air Support Unit of London's Metropolitan Police are flying helicopters armed with cameras which see more than rooftops and other ‘inaccessible' places, much more; the cameras are able to see very clearly "as much detail as they need to." In fact, besides eye in the sky's ability to get a "good clothing description" from a kilometer away, it can capture very clear video of shoelaces from nearly a mile way!

The "very dynamic" surveillance is considered "evidence gathering," but it can do much more than see. With the "multiple number of recorders," the helicopters gather evidence that is "not just visual, it's audio as well." The flying surveillance system comes complete with maps and GPS to show precisely "where they are in time and space." It's also linked into camera settings which feature significant "zoom settings."

From a couple miles away, it can keep an unblinking eye on the airport as yet another "security task." The aircraft's basic security role during the Olympics and Jubilee include facilitating public safety, crowd control, crowd movements, and crowd dynamics. Huge crowds and a record number of boats are expected on the River Thames during the Jubilee, so helicopters will monitor it all and send the images back to the police on the ground who will "respond quickly to any incidents."

The Washington Times said there will be "12,000 police officers, many drafted from other forces across the country, and nearly 24,000 venue security personnel working directly for the Olympic organizers." On the ground at police headquarters where the video and audio "evidence" will be sent, the role was described as "providing command and control imagery, providing reassurance to the public; most importantly it's about helping the thousands of officers down on the ground to do their job safely and efficiently." Police Sergeant Richard Brandon said of the helicopters' camera surveillance, "If we were to try and search all of those areas with conventional search teams, it would take weeks -- if not months -- to fully clear those sites.

This brings me to the coming drone invasion that will spy on us from USA skies. While the drones are not helicopters with mounted cameras to police the Olympics, the flying spies will be able to see into places not easily seen from the ground. Drones launched from your local police station may be equipped with "live-feed video cameras, infrared cameras, heat sensors, and radar." Drones may come with gigapixel cameras that can "track people and vehicles from altitudes above 20,000 feet," or may be able to "monitor up to 65 enemies of the State simultaneously." Visual, audio, GPS mapping, and who knows what all else? Will drones also be able to see citizens' eye color from almost a mile away?

The EFF reported that it is within the power of local governments to restrict drone surveillance. The EFF will be launching a "crowd-sourcing campaign aimed at finding out as much information as possible on each law enforcement agency's use of drones and how citizens can voice their concerns to their local governments."