CCTV

As you may have already understood, on the buses, in the streets, in the shops, cameras are watching and recording our every step. The social media industry has made us accustomed to the presence of cameras at events, in marches and in our daily lives (in workplaces, schools, etc.), so that our resistance to them is diminishing. It seems as if there is no other way and this leaves us no room to breathe.

The state is installing cameras to protect its infrastructure, to record demonstrations and to monitor its citizens. On the other hand, the petty bourgeoisie use them to protect their sacred property while their visual material is always available to the cops and is used as incriminating evidence in court cases. Under the pretext that this system of surveillance and control will create greater security, it shields the system of domination.

Cameras have never prevented any “crime”, nor have they ever “protected” anyone. The goal of surveillance is to create a sense of constant monitoring of our every step, every social media post is recorded and creates profiles with data that can be used against us.

Then we start to think twice, where we go, what we say, who we talk to and what we do. This superstitious obedience is part of repression and self-censorship. When we are not anonymous we do not act and speak as we would like, but according to what is socially acceptable.

Gentrification is also related to the expansion of surveillance. Continue reading “Exarcheia: THIS IS NOT A MUSEUM, THIS IS WHERE WE LIVE!” →

via: IAATA (https://iaata.info/Moudenc-nous-surveille-creve-lui-les-yeux-4052.html)

A guide to putting Toulouse’s cameras into early retirement.

This guide only deals with methods of destroying camera cabling. To destroy the camera itself you have to knock down the mast or climb to the top to break the camera, this requires heavy and cumbersome equipment (disk cutter, ladder …) and is therefore another story.

1 – Scouting

The location:

Movement of people and vehicles, cameras (public or private) with a view of the targeted camera, nearby cops/vigilantes/etc.

What the camera is attached to:

On a wall, on a mast, the type of mast (old style light grey or dark grey and smooth for the new ones).

Cabling:

Cabling outside the mast, protected by a simple sheath (flexible or rigid), cabling inside the mast.

The fixing of the trap door (in the case of wiring inside the mast):

Allen type screws, triangle type screws, hatch doubled (or not) by metal clamps.

2 – Preparation

The route:

Ideally, don’t take the same route on the way there and on the way back, plan routes that avoid as many cameras as possible (especially on the way back) thanks to the website toulouse sous surveillance (https://toulouse.sous-surveillance.net/), depending on the number of people present for the action and the layout of the place, plan small roadblocks to slow down the cops.

Be careful, scouting on the internet is good, scouting in real life is better. Google street photos are often several years old, and on the website toulouse sous surveillance some cameras may be missing.

Clothes:

For the action, wear gloves, something to mask your face (but really well because their cameras are full HD), disposable clothes (black and without distinctive markings). Then “normal” clothes under the disposables, and discreet shoes (important because it’s not practical to change them).

Mobile phones:

NO MOBILE PHONES. Or at the very least turn them off, but several kilometres before arriving at the site because downtown there are telephone antennas everywhere, you can see them here (https://www.antennesmobiles.fr/). Continue reading “France: We’re being watched: poke their eyes out” →