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Home Video Surveillance: Nanny Cams - A New Type of Home Security CamerasVideo Surveillance
The idea of women working outside the home has been commonplace, if not widespread, since the feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Today, many families rely on nannies, babysitters, au pairs, daycares and other child care professionals to care for their children while both parents are at work. Busy parents also rely on nannies and babysitters for sporadic childcare when they have social obligations, or simply want a break. Professional relationships between parents and child care professionals are, for the most part, very smooth and trouble-free. Babysitters and nannies that care for children briefly rarely cause trouble beyond extended phone conversations and depleted food supplies. Sadly, however, there are some cases where childcare providers neglect or in certain unfortunate incidents, injure their charges. In the 1990s, a rash of highly publicized babysitter abuse cases made the use of nanny cams, or hidden home security cameras, popular. Parents would hide security cameras in popular items like stuffed animals, behind books in bookshelves, in locked kitchen cabinets, and other places where the camera would provide a view of the children and their caretaker while the parents were away. Some of these cameras proved useful, giving footage that showed nannies sleeping on the job, hitting children, or going against the parents’ instructions. Most of the cameras showed business as usual, with the children playing with the sitter. In the beginning, most Nanny Cams were analog security cameras which were placed discreetly in books, stuffed animals, clock radios, and other household devices. These cameras would record footage onto a cassette tape or camcorder tape and could be viewed later. Thanks to the development of digital and wireless technology, nanny cams are now much more discreet. Cameras are sold implanted into household items like teddy bears; smoke detectors; alarm clocks and wall hangings, or users may buy standalone cameras and hide them themselves. Wireless nanny cams transmit footage wirelessly to a digital video recorder or a home computer, and in some cases, broadcast the footage so it may be viewed remotely in real time. This option is popular for many parents who want to spontaneously check in on their children throughout the day, and allows for greater flexibility in ensuring the safety of their children and the nanny. One controversy that has arisen with the popularity of nanny cams is the privacy of the caretaker. Some feel that installing a hidden camera without the nanny or babysitter’s consent is a violation of their privacy. Others believe that they cannot fully trust their caretaker to not take advantage of the camera and that if they knew of its existence, would hurt or neglect their children out of view of the lens. Many caretakers dislike the idea of being watched by a home security camera without their knowledge, and the discovery of the nanny cam usually motivates their resignation. Polls have shown that it is not necessarily the concept of being watched, but being watched without their knowledge, that is offensive to the caretaker. One recent alternative to the hidden home security camera has been the webcam or IP camera. Webcams are PC-powered digital cameras that have the ability to transmit video and pictures over the internet in real-time. Parents purchase the webcams, connect them to their computers at home and work, and use them to communicate with their caretakers and children throughout the day. This form of the nanny cam has been shown to be effective for all parties: the parents can communicate with their children and relay important info to their nanny; the nanny does not feel that they are being watched unnecessarily; and the child gets to interact with their parent. The webcam is also a popular method of video surveillance and interaction at day care centers, but these nanny cams usually broadcast footage of the entire play area and do not allow for individual interaction. However, the ability of parents to check in on their children from time to time allows them to ensure that their children are safe.
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