Course

This week I bumped across an article talking about surveillance at the FIFA World Cup. The event attracts many players and fans alike, guaranteeing a high number of people in attendance. Qatar is the hosting country for this year’s world cup, which puts them in charge of providing security to everyone attending the event. This responsibility necessitated Qatar’s surveillance of the football crowd as a means of maintaining security. CCTV cameras have been placed strategically in the stadiums and streets to monitor fan activity (Cohen, 2022). The cameras utilize facial recognition technology to monitor and control crowds. The cameras are complemented by drone surveillance systems which help estimate number of people in any particular location. Qatari officials then use the data and footage collected to monitor key crowd control areas such as transportation systems, gate security as well as monitoring crowd activities in the streets. Independent reports from human rights activists however note that security is not the only reason for the surveillance. This move is seen as a move of limiting several freedoms which the Qatari government has explicitly prohibited. Qatar has maintained its defiance in enforcing zero tolerance to wearing pride armbands and colors, indecent exposure and public drinking of alcohol. These are some of the freedoms normalized by the Western sporting culture but shunned upon by the highly conservative Qatari society.