Pressure is building for greater use of video cameras to keep watch over the nation's cities -- particularly in transportation systems and other spots vulnerable to terrorism -- after the bombings in London.

David Brin argues that the new surveillance technologies "will be the primary countervailing force against tyranny."

Surveillance cameras no longer are relegated to banks and convenience stores. The average American is captured on video about a dozen times a day, police estimate. And that has caused video surveillance cameras to become an increasingly important law enforcement tool across the country.

Citizens on patrol has gone digital in Cincinnati with civilians watching wireless "crime cams" for suspicious activity to report to police.

An in-depth look at the implications of ubiquitous webcams, tracking devices, and interlinked databases on individual privacy and security.

"This article considers the potential impact of the Hague Code of Conduct, in both the near- and long-term, on efforts to address threats to regional and global security posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles and related technology. While the omens from the launch are hardly auspicious, the initiative may yet prove able to make a valuable contribution to strengthening this crucial but sadly neglected aspect of the international non-proliferation regime."

The author defends recent U.S. proposals for the "Total Information Awareness" surveillance database by arguing that "if properly regulated, would be far less threatening to our freedom and privacy than the likely alternatives."

A California environmentalist has created an online, aerial photographic record of the entire California coast which has quickly become an indispensable conservation tool.

Amid uncertainty about whether surveillance cameras should be used to control crowds, detect terrorists or scare off drug dealers, the authorities in the nation's capital are debating rules intended to keep them from becoming a tool of Big Brother spying on citizens.

An interview with David Brin who argues that "security and privacy shouldn't be construed as rivals." Instead, he says, everyone will be safer if the government knows a lot -- within reason -- about its citizens, and if Americans know a lot more than they do now about how the government uses their information.