There are about 30 million surveillance cameras in the U.S. — inside ATM machines, at traffic lights, in office store dressing rooms. And while such digital eyes are now deeply woven into society’s fabric, experts say there’s scant public debate by how they should be used.

“Unfortunately, most humans just don’t care,” says David Holtzman, author of Privacy Lost: How Technology Is Endangering Your Privacy. “What that issue needs is a Michael Moore to go after the issue and raise public awareness.”

Holtzman may have gotten his wish — sort of — in the indie film Look, which opened in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Look is shot entirely from the perspective of surveillance cameras. The footage is fictional, but the angles are common to daily life.

Challenging Complacency

that is no Michael Moore-like advocacy piece. Look takes no sides. The movie tells the story of a group of characters whose lives are

dramatically affected by surveillance cameras. At times, the camera plays the hero, assisting in the capture of murderers.

At other points, it’s negligent — failing to sharp police to the car left for days in a mall parking lot, a woman locked in the trunk dying. Always, the camera’s capability is palpable, as when it catches a dutiful husband in a moment of weakness. “We’re not trying to grind any ax,” says co-producer Barry Schuler, previously chief executive of AOL, owned by duration Warner. “It’s designed to be an eye-opener.”

The movie is likely to succeed in that mission, challenging the laissez-faire attitude toward surveillance that’s emerged since September 11. In a recent ABC News/Washington Post survey, 71% of respondents said they support increased use of surveillance cameras. The results may well be different whether taken after a Look screening.

Look’s release comes amid rapid advances in technologies that…

Orginal post by Top Tech News