Monitoring or Observation (v. lat. observare = observe) is the attentive observation from persons and/or objects to technical, political, military or other purposes.

One differentiates among other things:

1. technical monitoring of plants or the monitoring of environmental data (e.g. the ozone hole). First serves above all the avoidance of incidents (see also the latters for uncovering and control of environmental damage.
2. A medical form of the monitoring is e.g. the monitoring of patients in the intensive care unit. Here constantly vital data are controlled such as heart impact, blood pressure and respiration, in order to be able to intervene in emergency fast.
3. electronic monitoring: is often used, in order to describe an observation from the distance by means of electronic equipment or other technical means.
4. Apart from technical measures monitoring can be accomplished also with "low tech", approximately by Beschattung.
5. Military monitoring of areas and/or areas (see types of combat and general one tasks in the employment)

In addition, monitoring measures are usually used by national secret services and the police, can serve control of employees in enterprises. This second kind of the monitoring is to a considerable degree illegal in Germany, while in the USA or also in Great Britain employers may supervise employees for example completely legally by means of cameras installed on the job. Also the Mitlesen of the E-Mail traffic of their employees is companies in the USA contrary to Germany permitted.

The degree of the monitoring is a hot-disputed and very problematic topic. On the one hand for example in the Scandinavian countries and in Great Britain the new forms of electronic control are praised as "achievement of the democracy". On the other hand for example the European Court of Justice in its derivation for the right to data security fears a restriction of the liberty of opinion. If the citizens do not know any longer, when and in which measure they are observed, they behave from fear of Repressionen also more carefully.

Monitoring with video cameras

Another form of the monitoring, by cameras, is usually used at public places, e.g. stations, than safety precaution. In Germany in this connection model projects, approximately in Regensburg, were accomplished which encountered violent resistance among data-security commissioners. Meanwhile the video monitoring is no more model project, but in many cities at public places is used. Sometimes as reason "requirements of marketing" are called, as for instance in the upper-Austrian city Wels. Also department stores are usually videosupervised, in order to prevent shopliftings.

There are efforts, the video photographs by means of a software, frequently face recognition or pattern matching mentioned to evaluate automatically and compare with existing person pictures. For recognition free of doubts in the meantime already short photographs of few signals meet, for example the eye portion. With the employment of this technology it would be no longer possible to participate anonymous in for example political demonstrations. Civil rights activists fear a global demonstrator data base or enormous Repressalien, if for example the police would continue to give photos of demonstrators to the respective employers.

Air traffic

In the air traffic the USA require the passing on of aircraft passenger data (passenger list). A system is developed further for the early recognition by "terrorists". One looks for "suspects" samples, in order to expose terrorists in such a way. The arms company Lockheed Martin was assigned by the US transportation authority "Transportation Security administration" to develop the system "computer Assisted of passport-close Pre Screening" (CAPPS) further. On the other hand are formed also resistances (, edri.org). Foreigners and war opponents are controlled particularly exactly. (heise.de)

Germany

The special sensitivity of the Germans in relation to each form of the monitoring contrary to anglo American countries can be attributed among other things to the monitoring of the population practiced in the national socialism by a system of Blockwarten. Also and after the turn the uncovered network of unofficial coworkers, established in the GDR by the public security, which spied on far parts of the population, contributes to a special sensitivity. Under certain conditions the offices for protection of the constitution or police in Germany can make a Observation of persons.

Monitoring of the correspondence

Since today more and more humans and E-Mail use fax, the meaning v. A. of the international correspondence is reduced. Interception of post office remains nevertheless an important task of the secret service.

There is no simple way to tighten, whether the personal post office was read, or not. Since the post office uses sorters, which damage occasionally letters, also such a damage is not a safe sign for a monitoring.

Today large data sets are sent away also with CDs on the post office way. These should one before "burning" with one admits safe coding program, about GPG to code.

Audio - monitoring

Apart from the conventional methods like hidden bugs there is still the more failed method of the optical monitoring mechanism. Here it is used that a windowpane in the clock with the language swings. In order to determine these oscillations, a laser beam is directed toward the disk and caught again. From the deviations of the laser beam the spoken words are reconstructed electronic.

Articles in category "Monitoring"

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