The Impact of Using Surveillance Systems in British Airways - Essay Example

The Implications of Surveillance Systems on British Airways Surveillance has always been an issue on the part of the consumer and the employee as well as that of the employer. Businesses benefit greatly from surveillance techniques but the use of surveillance always has negative connotations attached to it. It is highly debatable if surveillance systems are really necessary in a workplace and most would agree that surveillance, first and foremost, serves as part of the security systems of a company. Without surveillance systems, employee crime would run rampant which will lead to financial loss for the company. This study was conducted to investigate the implications of surveillance systems on companies such as the British Airways. It takes a look at the various ways in which surveillance systems affect consumers and personnel in actual scenarios. Looking at how surveillance is important or not for a business is significant because it proves to be a ‘necessary evil’ that may provide a lot of benefits than what is expected. But with the revision of rights of employees in the workplace, surveillance is now frowned upon as a form of breaching one’s personal space. When misused and abused, the utilization of surveillance in the workplace could lead to more complications such as lawsuits and other legal matters. Companies which are not built to handle these kinds of negative impacts may soon be well out of business, leading to great financial loss and ultimately to the closure of the company. On the other hand surveillance technology, if applied correctly will result to the opposite; it may lead to customer and employee satisfaction which may lead to an increase on profit and therefore contributing to the growth and financial well-being of the company. This study was conducted primarily through research work with most of the references herein are taken from online sources which proves to be fairly reliable. Introduction One of the primary concerns of any business organisation is the satisfaction of their customers. The saying “the customer is always right” is universally followed by many of business companies around the world. Today, due to better definitions of labour codes a company must not only look upon the satisfaction of the customer but also of their employees. The employees are the backbone of any company for without them a company will be just a heap of unorganized set of ideas waiting to materialize. Though employees are important, there are quite a significant number of unscrupulous ones so a method must be devised to somehow monitor the activities of both efficient and unscrupulous employees. This is where surveillance systems come in. Surveillance systems come in many forms and methods and their use in businesses and the workplace has been a subject of debate among employers and employees throughout time. There are many views in the use of surveillance systems; there are those who are in favour in its use in businesses and the workplace while there are those who feel that their privacy is violated at the thought of it. Those who claim that surveillance is important say that it is just another method of increasing security, while those who are not in favour and are sceptical are those that see it as an unlawful means of monitoring employee activities. Though this may be the case, surveillance is still an integral part of the business and may be seen as a ‘necessary evil’. Companies could just imagine running a business without using surveillance though there are limits its usage. There are modern laws that protect the privacy of employers, employees and consumers and non-accordance to these laws may prove to be disadvantageous morally and financially leading to deterioration of the enterprise. Discussed herein are thoughts regarding the use of surveillance systems in the workplace and business particularly those which are people-oriented such as airline companies like British Airways. A brief background on British Airways British airways (BA) have always been on the forefront of providing excellent air travel services not only for the United Kingdom but also for the rest of the world. It is governed by the British Airport Authority (BAA), UK’s premier air transport service provider which aims to make its airports the best in the world in terms of security, prices and quality of service (BAA, 2006). British Airways, as “the world’s most favourite airlines” as their ads claim, has always offered their customers a number of innovative features that set them apart from other airlines. In 2002, British Airways was one of the first airlines that provided broadband internet for premier passengers in its flights. Richardson (2002) noted that this was done to accommodate passengers who often bring their laptops along, saying that they would really appreciate it if internet services were provided on board. More on the digital side, Glick (2004) reported that British Airways also strives to provide accurate and up to the minute digital information on all of its flights and services, as well as a kind of ‘self-service’ feel on all of its services Another one of British Airway’s (2005) innovations is that it provides online services for online booking, information on the destination, pricing etc. through their easy-to-use homepage, which can be accessed from www.brtishairways.com. Securitypark (2006) reports that British Airways uses ‘smart cards’ to identify and provide access to its millions of users and employees worldwide. These ‘smart cards’ bring contain information on the customer as well as many other personalised data on him/her and to prevent unauthorised access of confidential data by others It was not all roses for British Airways though, the company has quite a few set backs through the years and it was once believed that it could have hit the sack at some point. Below is a financial report detailing the financial performance of British Airways for ten years, from 1995 to 2005. It can be seen that BA experienced its greatest losses in the years 1996-1998. It also shows that British Airways regained their stability from the year 2000 up (Wikipedia, 2006a). Also, the intervention of rivals such as Virgin airlines (from the Virgin group of companies) proved to be disastrous to British Airway’s public image. The so-called “dirty tricks” employed by both parties in 1991 after a mercy mission conducted by Virgin airlines on American hostages in Iraq lead to its sudden boost in popularity which put BA in the shadows. What followed was a series of lawsuits ending in favour of British Airways, but not without setbacks though, as the public viewed this incident negatively for both sides (Wikipedia, 2006b) Fig.1: Financial performance of British Airways from March 1995-2005 Year ended Turnover (£m) Profit/loss before tax (£m) Net profit/loss (£m) Basic eps (p) 31 March 2005 7,813 415 251 23.4 31 March 2004 7,560 230 130 12.1 31 March 2003 7,688 135 72 6.7 31 March 2002 8,340 - 200 - 142 - 13.2 31 March 2001 9,278 150 114 10.5 31 March 2000 8,940 5 - 21 - 2.0 31 March 1999 8,915 225 206 19.5 31 March 1998 8,642 580 460 44.7 31 March 1997 8,359 640 553 55.7 31 March 1996 7,760 585 473 49.4 Source: Wikipedia A BBC (2006) article reported that this sudden rise in profit may seem to have resulted from the change in management which happened in May 2000 when chief executive Bob Ayling was replaced by Rod Eddington. Mr. Eddington was credited as the one who help solve British Airway’s ailing status by employing new and improved strategies for British Airways. Biz/ed, (2006) on the other hand insisted that one such strategy that British Airways used is the switch from an emphasis in a market lead approach to a more asset lead approach. Just recently in 2005, a new CEO by the name of Willie Walsh is determined to further improve British Airways following the footsteps of former CEO Rod Eddington. He promises a 300 million savings by the year 2008, an ambitious but attainable goal set-up in Walsh’s 5-year reign (Wikipedia, 2006c). Concerns about Surveillance Systems in the Workplace Like any airliner service, British Airways utilizes a variety of surveillance techniques for the security and monitoring of its clients and employees. Recent events such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist’s attacks on the U.S. (also known as 9/11) had put airline companies on a bad light. Airline companies were seen to have lowered their guard on terrorists making it easy for them to infiltrate and hi-jack the planes thereby causing mass-destruction. All major airline companies were affected by this and British Airways was no exception especially when it is just trying to recover from mass financial loses the year that 9/11 happened. Thus the need for more rigid passenger surveillance and screening procedures was needed. As an example, US President George W. Bush proposed the providing the airline crew with small arms in case of a hi-jack scenario. Airsafe, (2003) lists President Bush’s proposed revisions of anti-hijacking procedures which were severely out-dated and obsolete. Figure 2 presented below is the recent list of airline crashes from the JACDEC (2006) or Jet Airliner Crash Data evaluation Centre which apparently has something to do with faulty surveillance systems. Figure 2: Latest Aircraft Crash data from JACDEC Date Type Reg. Operator Location Fatal 24.04.2006 Antonov An-32 - Valan Intl Cargo Lashkar Gah AP / Afghanistan  3+2 23.04.2006 Antonov An-74 UR-47038 - N´Djamena area / Chad 6 01.04.2006 Let 410UVP PT-FSE TEAM TA Saquarema area / Brazil 19 29.03.2006 Ilyushin Il-62M 5A-DKR Cen Sad Moscow-Domodedovo AP / Russia 0 28.03.2006 Antonov An-12 4K-46741 Phoenix Avia Payam AP area / Tehran / Iran 0 04.03.2006 McDD MD-82 PK-LMW Lion Air Surabaya AP / Indonesia 0 03.03.2006 Boeing 747-300 PZ-TCM Suriname AW Amsterdam-Intl AP / Netherlands 0 26.02.2006 Antonov An-12 - Wimbi Dira AW Mbuji Mayi AP / DR. Congo 0 14.02.2006 Fokker 50 LN-RND Scandinavian AL Oslo-Intl AP / Norway 0 08.02.2006 Douglas DC-8-71CF N748UP U P S Philadelphia-Intl AP / PA / USA 0 05.02.2006 Shorts 360 N3735W Air Cargo Carriers Watertown area / WI / USA 3 24.01.2006 Antonov An-12 9Q-CER Aerolift Mbuji Maji AP / DR Congo 0 10.01.2006 DHC-6 Vista Liner 300 TI-BAF Nature Air Puerto Jiminez AP / Costa Rica 0 24.12.2005 Antonov An-28 ER-AJE Tepavia Zalingei AP area / Sudan 2 23.12.2005 Boeing 707-320C 9L-LDU Air Leone Sabiha Gokcen AP / Turkey 0 Source: JACDEC Passenger surveillance is a world wide concern particularly after the 9/11 terrorists attacks. The Lane County Bill of Rights Defence Committee (2005) describes one such system used in the United States is the CAPPS II (Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-screening System) a passenger screening computer system that verify the identities of passengers (especially terrorists or persons with terroristic intentions) before they can even board an aircraft. It works by validating a passenger’s name, address, telephone number, and birth day with the Aviation Security Screening Records (ASSR). Passengers are then labelled into ‘green’, ‘yellow’ or ‘red’ status passengers. ‘Green’ passengers get to board the plane immediately while ‘yellow’ ones need further verification. ‘Red’ passengers are restricted from boarding as they are positively identified as a terrorist or an illegal alien by the database. The system was initially available in the US, but is now available for most major airline companies such as British Airways. The Impact of Using Surveillance systems in the Workplace Operating an airline company is no easy job, especially when millions of employees and passengers come and go from the workplace. The United Kingdom is said to be the most monitored place in the world which shows on how their airports and airlines operate. In 2002, the BBA (2006) has adapted and initiated an enhanced security program over their airports and airline operators. Using state of the art monitoring equipment, the BAA conducts passenger screenings quickly and efficiently. With about a third of their personnel specializing on surveillance, it is not surprising that the BAA is one of the most trusted Airport authorities in the world. Screening technologies such as archway metal detectors, explosives trace detection equipment, and x-ray screening equipment combined with manual body and cabin baggage searches compliment their state-of-the-art systems to ensure safety for their passengers and airline operators. Once allowed inside the airline, British Airways takes care of the rest by employing such technologies as CEM AC2000 access control systems and smart cards described in Securitypark (2006) that verify the identities of its passengers. This is a form of mass surveillance where a large group of people are surveyed/verified/scanned for their identities before boarding a plane . Another way of monitoring the entrance and exit of foreigners in the country is to increase the identification database of foreign visitors. According to Privacy International (2005), the E.U. has already settled to acquire basic foreigner identification such as personal data, fingerprints, thumbprints and the like to increase both their security measures and data stores Mass surveillance is the act of monitoring a large number of individuals at a given location. Mass surveillance may be done with or without the consent of the populace and may entail several negative impacts on implementation. In the UK, whole towns are subjected to mass surveillance through the use of CCTV cameras equipped with facial recognition programs to monitor and verify the identities of residents and visitors coming and going through those towns. The UK also has an extensive fingerprint and DNA databases of its subjects, technically everybody is known to anybody. These databases serve a multitude of purposes, but are mainly aimed at the identification and verification of residents around locales. However the public is not much enthusiastic about this and is viewed as a violation of their right to privacy. Airliners are especially wary of the fact that they can be attacked anytime when they are in the air. While occurrences of hi-jacking are uncommon, it is not to be taken lightly. Human lives are at stake whenever hijackers or any unscrupulous individuals are concerned. One form of surveillance system employed by all aircraft are ‘black boxes’ (flight data recorders) that record flight, weather, pilot and other types of data inside and outside of an aircraft. The ‘black box’ serves as evidence of the events that may have happened during a hijack or any unfortunate event that the airliner might have encountered during the flight. With this, future accidents and disasters can be prevented by studying the data recorded at the time of the incident. This is one form of surveillance that is regarded as highly acceptable due to its safety aspect. The Black box developed by the Australian Department of Defence/DSTO (2006) has been indispensable as proven in 9/11 and other such major aircraft incident that happened in the past 20 years. Surveillance in the airlines is not just limited to the airplane itself and it may extend to the ground crew who have dedicated themselves to operations. It has been a growing trend for employers to apply employee monitoring methods in the workplace. Bonsor (2006) mentions that this trend is backed-up by the availability of low-cost monitoring equipment. Methods of monitoring might include one or more of the following: packet snuffers, Log files, desktop monitoring programs, phones, closed-circuit cameras and other discreet means Although these methods are originally intended to monitor the efficiency and activities of employees in the workplace, some insidious employers employ these methods beyond their purpose and use this methods/equipment as a means to spy upon their employee’s private lives. This extreme does not go unnoticed and some have been persecuted for their crimes against their employees. Generally, the employer has full rights to monitor his employees and the operations of the business. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (2006) clearly states that the employer has every right to monitor the performance of employees and operations to a certain extent. Laws such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1985 stated by the National Workrights Institute (2006), the Commonwealth Privacy Act of 2002 and the EU Telecommunications Privacy Directive of 2002 as described by Privacy International (2006) all help to protect employee privacy from the prying eyes of unscrupulous employees. Most companies today employ a sort of employee monitoring system that monitor their employee’s behaviour and work habits while they are in the workplace. This kind of surveillance is known as workplace surveillance and may employ one or several methods of surveillance (Wikipedia, 2006e). While this may not be particularly applicable to pilots and flight attendants, the ground crew (those who are responsible for the paperwork and other clerical duties) are apparently affected by this. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (2006) reports that about 80% of all employers disclose that they use some form of employee monitoring method and/or device in the office and most of these methods are not disclosed to employees. Also, other amenities and functions can be monitored or limited such as internet access, telephone use, lunch breaks etc. The type of violation brought upon by the abuse of surveillance equipment is known as surveillance abuse. This type of abuse is defined as the violation of an individual’s privacy by means of surveillance equipment or methods (Wikipedia, 2006d). Still according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (2006) labour groups/union, civil organisations and the general public give workplace monitoring special attention so as not to promote surveillance abuse. Workplace surveillance is generally frowned upon by most employees and scandals brought upon by malicious cases involving surveillance will surely bring a very bad image to any company and employees, however there are certain benefits in setting-up a monitoring system in the workplace. One is that it encourages employees to work well because of the fact that their behaviours and actions are watched carefully by their superiors. This leads to increased employee efficiency and reduction of workplace related crime such as petty theft. As employee efficiency increases, the company’s profit which will eventually lead to its continuity. Also, the use of surveillance systems reduces the manpower required for security (e.g. security guards), thereby reducing costs for the company The Future of Surveillance The methods of surveillance have evolved throughout the years. Incidents such as 9/11 are frighteningly real and could happen again in a similar function. That is why airliners including British Airways have employed many modern ways of monitoring and surveillance in its methods such as the ‘black box’ and other on-board monitoring devices. The adage: ’prevention is more effective than cure’ is typically exemplified in the use of surveillance systems in airline operations. British Airways and other UK airline companies are backed up by a massive identity database that quickly identifies legitimate subjects and tracks down terrorists and other unscrupulous individuals. This database was made possible with the numerous CCTV cameras that are scattered all over the towns of Britain. These cameras are equipped with the latest facial recognition and other identification enhancements available. The database also stores millions upon millions of finger prints and thumbprints from foreigners and locals alike. Along with the National ID system, this formidable system ensures that events just like 9/11 will not happen again. Other future surveillance methods include vehicle plate monitoring systems, airport camera surveillance systems, whole body scans, the lists goes on and on. All these technologies are employed today so that the entry of illegal aliens, infiltration of terrorists and other vile individuals who seek to wreak havoc upon the world. Conclusion In today’s society the utilisation of technology as a tool is inevitable. The use of surveillance systems is both acceptable and abusive at the same time. One of the best applications of this set of technology is the prevention of crime and other nefarious acts not just on airlines but also to any other social environment. Monitoring a crime is as good of preventing it thus surveillance systems in this viewpoint becomes very acceptable. But the abuse and mishandling of surveillance technology becomes a crime itself as the monitoring of another person’s private affairs are in direct violation of his or her rights to privacy. Applying this concept to airline operation, the level of surveillance must be increased so that an incident similar to the September 11 bombing of the twin towers would be prevented. This level of surveillance must be done in such a way as to carefully scrutinize the passenger without violating his or her personal space. Some of these surveillance systems like the black box and airport cameras are an absolute necessity and citizens must be able to accept these surveillance systems as part of everyday life. The fact that surveillance systems adds to a person’s personal security and safety justifies the use of such methods for without surveillance, crime and other heinous activities will always have the initiative. Recommendations Surveillance has gone a long way and has been applied in every possible aspect of life. The fictional work of Dr. David Brin (1998) entitled ‘The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force us to Choose Between Privacy and Freedom?’ is highly recommended as additional reading on the possible effects of surveillance in the future, described as a world where everything is monitored and surveyed. Dr. Brin has shown several negative effects of surveillance in the sociological aspect and its effect on human culture and life itself. Dr. Brin’s work may be fictitious, but several possibilities and realities on the use of surveillance extensively has been discussed with thorough depth and realism that one might think that yes, this may possibly happen to our society if the level of surveillance itself is left unmonitored. REFERENCE LIST AirSafe.com. 2001. APPS.II. AirSafe.com Available from: http://airsafe.com/events/war/moresafe.html [Accessed May 01, 2006]. Australian Department of Defence, Defence Science and Technology Organisation. 2006. Black Box Flight Recorder. 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Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance_abuse [Accessed May 01, 2006]. Read More