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What's up with the CCTV lovefest? It's already been established that surveillance cameras aren't all that effective when it comes to crime-fighting. Following Chicago's lead, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg says he's looking to emulate the "ring of steel" — cameras and road barriers — that London devised to fend off IRA bombings. Bloomberg brushes off all the privacy hubbub by saying, "We are under surveillance all the time." You're naive to think otherwise. Your privacy is an illusion, much like your security. What we want to be a bit less private, though, is who's making bank off this urban paranoia.


New York City's network is set to cost $81.5 million and Chicago's cost is unknown, but certainly ungodly. IBM, long drawn to expensive contracts, is in charge of setting up Chicago's system. No vendors have been named for New York's system, but we doubt Bloomberg is picking up supplies at Home Depot. (Photo by Jon Gos)