Closed-circuit television

Even though almost all video cameras fit this definition, the term is most often applied to those used for surveillance in areas that require additional security or ongoing monitoring (videotelephony is seldom called "CCTV"[3][4]).

The deployment of this technology has facilitated significant growth in state surveillance, a substantial rise in the methods of advanced social monitoring and control, and a host of crime prevention measures throughout the world.

More recently, decentralized IP cameras, perhaps equipped with megapixel sensors, support recording directly to network-attached storage devices or internal flash for stand-alone operation.

[9] Originally requested by CTO (the Soviet Council of Labor and Defense), the system consisted of a manually-operated scanning-transmitting camera and wireless shortwave transmitter and receiver, with a resolution of a hundred lines.

Having been commandeered by Kliment Voroshilov, Theremin's CCTV system was demonstrated to Joseph Stalin, Semyon Budyonny, and Sergo Ordzhonikidze, and subsequently installed in the courtyard of the Moscow Kremlin to monitor approaching visitors.

[9] Another early CCTV system was installed by Siemens AG at Test Stand VII in Peenemünde, Nazi Germany, in 1942, for observing the launch of V-2 rockets.

[19] In September 1968, Olean, New York, was the first city in the United States to install CCTV video cameras along its main business street in an effort to fight crime.

[32] The studies included in the meta-analysis used quasi-experimental evaluation designs that involved before-and-after measures of crime in experimental and control areas.

[32] However, researchers have argued that the British car park studies included in the meta-analysis cannot accurately control for the fact that CCTV was introduced simultaneously with a range of other security-related measures.

[44] In October 2009, an "Internet Eyes" website was announced which would pay members of the public to view CCTV camera images from their homes and report any crimes they witnessed.

[45] Russia has also implemented a video surveillance system called 'Safe City', which has the capability to recognize facial features and moving objects, sending the data automatically to government authorities.

[50] In Singapore, since 2012, thousands of CCTV cameras have helped deter loan sharks, nab litterbugs, and stop illegal parking, according to government figures.

[60] In the Philippines, barangay San Antonio used CCTV cameras and artificial intelligence software to detect the formation of crowds during an outbreak of a disease.

[61][62] In the United States, Britain, Canada,[63] Australia,[64] and New Zealand, CCTV is widely used in schools to prevent bullying, vandalism, monitoring visitors, and maintaining a record of evidence of a crime.

In some countries, malls must obtain approval from the Ministry of Interior (MOI)[70] or Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) before installing CCTVs.

[72]Many sporting events in the United States use CCTV inside the venue, either to display on the stadium or arena's scoreboard or in the concourse or restroom areas to allow people to view action outside the seating bowl.

In a trial with CCTV cameras, football club fans no longer needed to identify themselves manually, but could pass freely after being authorized by the facial recognition system.

[76] In Asia, different human activities attracted the use of surveillance camera systems and services, including but not limited to business and related industries,[77] transportation,[78] sports,[79] and care for the environment.

[116] According to data from the Russian Minister for Digital Development, Maksut Shadayev, one in three of all CCTVs in Russia were connected to a facial recognition system.

A leaked document revealed that the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, called on the Russian security services to fund "a massive AI-based surveillance apparatus".

[117] In the United Kingdom, the vast majority of CCTV cameras are operated not by government bodies, but by private individuals or companies, especially to monitor the interiors of shops and businesses.

[118] An article published in CCTV Image magazine estimated the number of private and local government-operated cameras in the United Kingdom was 1.85 million in 2011.

In an opinion poll commissioned by Lund University in August 2017, the general public of Sweden was asked to choose one measure that would ensure their need for privacy when subject to CCTV operation in public spaces: 43% favored regulation in the form of clear routines for managing, storing, and distributing image material generated from surveillance cameras, 39% favored regulation in the form of clear signage informing that camera surveillance in public spaces is present, 10% favored regulation in the form of having restrictive policies for issuing permits for surveillance cameras in public spaces, 6% were unsure, and 2% favored regulation in the form of having permits restricting the use of surveillance cameras during certain times.

[141] A 2007 report by the UK Information Commissioner's Office highlighted the need for the public to be made more aware of the growing use of surveillance and the potential impact on civil liberties.

[142][143] In the same year, a campaign group claimed that the majority of CCTV cameras in the UK are operated illegally or are in breach of privacy guidelines.

[144] In response, the Information Commissioner's Office rebutted the claim and added that any reported abuses of the Data Protection Act are swiftly investigated.

In 2012, the UK government enacted the Protection of Freedoms Act which includes several provisions related to controlling the storage and use of information about individuals.

[153] Artificial intelligence-powered CCTV cameras have also been further tested to detect congestion,[154] be used as a facial recognition system, and predict signs of criminal activities.

Recordings may be retained for a preset amount of time and then automatically archived, overwritten, or deleted, the period being determined by the organisation that generated them.

[170] In December 2016, a form of anti-CCTV and facial recognition sunglasses called "reflectacles" were invented by a craftsman based in Chicago named Scott Urban.