Should Nudist Resorts use Video Camera Surveillance?

[Centauri4]

Just a hypothetical question...

These cameras are practically everywhere these days... At the ATM machine, bank, shopping mall, airports, traffic intersections, some Wal*Marts (apparently) and many other places. Often referred to as the "all seeing eye" and used in both legal prosecutions and well as defense evidence, are nudist resort members and owners being "naive" to think the eye witness testimony of staff or members alone would be good enough in a legal case?

I'm not suggesting that cameras ARE needed, and I am not suggesting they should be used in places such as restrooms, hot tubs or around Play Grounds, but perhaps having a camera pointing at the Main Office or covering the Front Gate would be VERY useful in some scenarios.

As a member of a resort, how would you feel about being video taped "from a distance" if it were in the best interests of the continued existence of your favorite nudist place?

As a owner of a resort, how would you feel about being able to precisely present not only the time of entry of a member, when they ate at the property's restaurant, when they backed their RV over Joe's tent and portable cook stove and when they tried to "sneak out" of the property in the late evening (after the Family Dance) before Joe returned and found his smoushed campsite?

The technology to "blur out" one or more member's faces in a video exists and people can always be referred to as "Member A" and "Member B" IF the video is ever officially needed in court, so the question is, "Does the potential benefit outweigh the potential chance of abuse or individual rights infringement?"

I just thought about this because we live in a "video everywhere" society and it occurred to me that Nudist Resorts may be one of the last holdouts in this technological trend.

I personally would NOT be opposed to being videoed by a "Last 48 Hours" type system that automatically overwrites recordings older than 48 hours.

Are any resort owners using "electronically enhanced security" OTHER THAN a Access Card controlled front gate?

~

[MoonShadow]

I will have to say NO to security cameras at nudist resorts. Such resorts are not going to have the large numbers of people that flow in and out as with malls, airports, hotels and motels, airports, etc.

If I owned a nudist resort I would not want any of my customers knowing that while they are on the premises that an "all seeing eye" is watching and recording. This is, imo, too much invasion for a small area of space.

If a crime occurred then it would have to be solved as so many are, without the use of security cameras. Forensic science today is far superior to what it was before security cameras came on the scene.

I know that, personally, I would not go to any nudist resort that has security cameras in place and recording.

[Lilwilly]

I guess that since I don't mind being nude in front of a bunch of strangers, the presence of a mere camera wouldn't bother me lol.

[maxnude]

I attend a resort that has security CCTV cameras and assume they are recorded.

They had a theft of expensive exercise equipment, and in the same building have Security cameras in the recreation room where the ping pong tables, pool tables, and Television are.

Having CCTV cameras for security purposes doesn't bother me at all.

[Steve78621]

I'm O.K. with the front gate being recorded, it's not an issue to me as I don't have any problem with anyone knowing where I have been hanging out at. I don't know about the rest of the property, maybe the outside of the fences if there have been incursions or some other kind of ongoing problems. As to the rest of the place, I would hope that there would not be problems that would need surveillance. If there are problems, try better security or maybe trying some other way before putting out cameras. What I'm trying to say that if things are happening that you need a camera, then it's time to step back and study just where the problems are starting and what to do to control the situation without going to cameras. Cameras everywhere, no.

[Lord Drakkus]

If I were the type to go to resorts, I would have to say that I would oppose security cameras on the inside of the resort. Cameras around the outside and at the front gate would be fine, and still provide video of vehicles entering/exiting in case a theft occurs.

For me, it has nothing to do with the nudity. I simply don't want to have every hour of my life outside of my home videotaped. I consider it a huge invasion of privacy.

[dakref]

I guess I would be OK with cameras monitoring the front gate, but beyond that I would feel it was an invasion of people's privacy.

[Fitz1980]

I don't like the idea of security cameras at nudist resorts but I don't like this "big brother-ism" of having cameras all around us in daily life.

[NudonyII]

From a "nude on cam" perspective: well, if I'm at the resort, that means I'm nude in front of everyone the entire time I'm there; the idea that my recorded nude image is stored in the manager's office doesn't bother me much. From a "safety" perspective, I'm with Steve: I would be a little puzzled by the motive behind the presence of cameras on the resort. And I would expect that information to be openly disclosed.

[nosockstoday]

My preference and expectation would be not to be videotaped. That kind of historical data or 'evidence' wouldn't be too cool for me. I would have no problem with going to the club or resort but would have major issue with cameras inside.

There are those of us that prefer our privacy. Let me be honest with you, 'nosockstoday' is not my real name. :surprised:

Another issue, I would expect notification would need to be given up front if there were cameras and I would expect there would be a % of people that would have issue and perhaps not enter because of that. I understand a lot of clubs are money-tight and end up closing their doors for financial reasons. I'd really hate to see that happen. And then there is the possibility for lawsuits... We expect and assume al parties involved to be above board and ethical but there is no guarantee. Can you imagine potential lawsuits if anything leaked out to a cell phone or the internet?

Please don't misunderstand or misquote me, I'm not suggesting any impropriety but sometimes an ounce of prevention is well worth it...

-two pennies worth...

[Centauri4]

Thanks for your thoughtful answers everyone!

This question has a parallel in the world of business, in that employees are often informed they should expect no "right" to privacy in the office, or in company provided e-mail.

So how would being monitored at work during the entire day be different from being monitored while at the resort of weekends? Other than the part about being naked of course, there is still a Big Brother-ish aspect to this type of pervasive monitoring, but I do not think it is necessarily a bad thing.

What if the insurance underwriters of your favorite resort offered a 5% discount on annual insurance simply by installing cameras along the main roads and community building entrances? What about 7%? The idea being that if an accident did happen, or questions were raised about how a sequence of events happened, then there would be a video tap witness to rely on.

Probably most insurers will not advertise a discount for having better safety related equipment located on the property, because as far as they are concerned NOT having to give the 5% discount is fine with them.

I would not have a problem with being videoed at a distance, and as far as doing anything worthy of being worried about on video tape, no problem there either! Its life, and we love it as we live it.

~

[davep]

Paradoxically as a very camera-shy person I'd have no problem with legitimate security CCTV provided there was a legally binding guarantee that the footage would never be passed on, would be wiped after a suitable (very short) interval in the absence of any specific incident calling for retention, and would never be used in any other context (I don't relish the idea of being sold to Planet's Funniest Nudes or some such voyeuristic garbage). I'd want the monitoring to be done by fellow nudists rather than some guy off the street, but that's about all.

I'm not happy though at the thought of insurance businesses getting access or dictating disposal/retention. I just don't trust them, and unlike law enforcement agencies I don't consider them entitled.
_______________________________

*** In fact on reflection, footage involved in any case would have to be passed on to the police, who would quite possibly sell it at some future date for Planet's Funniest CCTV, as they contemptibly do. So I've completely reversed my opinion in a few minutes, sorry about that. I'm now 100% against.

[Trainfan]

I have to agree that I don't like the big brother idea that Fitz1980 mentions. When I was in the Army in the mid 1980s I was stationed in what was then West Berlin. As part of our newcomer's orientation, each class traveled over to East Berlin. One thing that I noticed was the use of camera's everywhere. It seemed unsettling and I noticed it on the few East Berliners that I noticed who were out and about. As soon as they saw us standing in our American military dress uniforms, they immediately made a bee-line into the nearest building. That's when I noticed the cameras that were literally on the corner of every building. At the time, I remember thinking how free we were in America that we didn't have to have cameras everywhere. Now look at us! It looks more and more like Orwell's predictions are coming true.

I don't like the idea of security cameras at nudist resorts but I don't like this "big brother-ism" of having cameras all around us in daily life.

[maliakei]

I will have to say NO to security cameras at nudist resorts. Such resorts are not going to have the large numbers of people that flow in and out as with malls, airports, hotels and motels, airports, etc.

If I owned a nudist resort I would not want any of my customers knowing that while they are on the premises that an "all seeing eye" is watching and recording. This is, imo, too much invasion for a small area of space.

If a crime occurred then it would have to be solved as so many are, without the use of security cameras. Forensic science today is far superior to what it was before security cameras came on the scene.

I know that, personally, I would not go to any nudist resort that has security cameras in place and recording.


I agree. Just the idea of having video surveillance equipment recording 24/7 would make me feel as if I'm being watched all the time. I'd feel as if I were on Candid Camera. It's bad enough there are small spy cell phone cameras, some so small in size where they can be easily hidden. Anybody can buy these tiny digital cameras which are rapidly shrinking in size.

This idea may be one way to scare off would-be theives, but what about the personal privacy of club members? The very thought of knowing there are hidden cameras on a clothesfree resort would always be on my mind. Are there any such nude clubs which have 24/7 video surveillance?

[walter05]

If there are going to be cameras, law enforcement or others could find out and subpoena the tapes, disks, etc.

If they were able to get a picture of a man with an erection in front of a minor girl or boy, would he then have to register as a sex offender?

If there was a boy with an erection in front of adults, would the adults have to register?

Once the images are stored, they are available to anyone.

[nimrod]

I do not know where I stand on this issue. I do not like the whole big brother aspect of cameras, and I do not think that it is a real deterant for crime, look at how many thieves are caught on tape. Does it help in identifying criminals? Yes, but not in finding them, not unless the cameras were everywhere watching everything. It takes real people to actually find them and arrest them.

As a nudist I have to think that if I was caught on camera nude how it might impact me, and I can not think of any negetives to it. I do not plan on doing anything that being seen or caught nude at a resort or beach might even be a hinderance to me. Ask yourself if being on camera doing the normal things of life can be used against you in a negetive way, nude or not? I have to think that if you are afriad of being caught nude on camera where it is legal to do so then why be nude there at all?

Walter did bring up some good points about context of the material and it being used in a negetive way, but there are those that think any nudity is a negetive and it does not matter if there are minors there or not.

[Navigator]

You've all posted a lot of good answers.

My take: Security cameras at nudist resorts are a solution to problems that don't exist.

My answer: Absolutely not.

[BinCo]

No, except maybe at the entrance to record visitors. So that if they have any problems with someone they have a pic of them to show the staff as a 'do not allow entry' list. I am not sure if they record DL#'s or not, otherwise a picture is clear enough.

[Ken Palmer]

Hello MoonShadow. I am afraid I am going to have to agree with you here. I too do not want to be filmed at a nudist/naturist resort for the simple reason I don't know what that film will be used for down the road and who else can access it for whatever purpose. Like you said, big brother is already watching us everywhere else. This is one place I can come and get a bit of a reprieve.

Ken Palmer




I will have to say NO to security cameras at nudist resorts. Such resorts are not going to have the large numbers of people that flow in and out as with malls, airports, hotels and motels, airports, etc.

If I owned a nudist resort I would not want any of my customers knowing that while they are on the premises that an "all seeing eye" is watching and recording. This is, imo, too much invasion for a small area of space.

If a crime occurred then it would have to be solved as so many are, without the use of security cameras. Forensic science today is far superior to what it was before security cameras came on the scene.

I know that, personally, I would not go to any nudist resort that has security cameras in place and recording.

[nuada]

There are so many interesting and thought provoking answers here. Being filmed nude would not bother me and I could support the cameras if they were a benefit to the club owners and their patrons (hesitantly).
nuada