The Big Apple meets Big Brother

A new system unveiled today in New York City is intended to take public surveillance to unprecedented levels. And data available for quick crunching by the system will go well beyond just cameras. 

“We’re not your mom and pop police department anymore,” Mayor Bloomberg crowed. “We are in the next century. We are leading the pack.”

The cyber-system was developed by Microsoft in conjunction with the city at an estimated cost of 30 to 40 million dollars. However, the city hopes to recover what it spent by taking a 30 percent cut as Microsoft sells the system to other cities.

Is your local government as obsessed with surveillance and control as Mayor Bloomberg's?