Editorial
In some countries the use of street surveillance cameras is banned by law. In Britain it has been welcomed as the solution to all our crime problems. The difference is not that countries like Canada and Germany are home to particularly private sorts of people, but that they are keen to protect their right to privacy as a matter of principle. Recent reports show that the average Londoner is caught on camera 300 times a day. Nevertheless, this Londoner carries on oblivious and without any hint of stage-fright. Imagine if the average Londoner felt the way the average Cambridge applicant may soon feel everytime the cameras are switched on. Both applicant and interviewer will certainly be aware of them.
The revelation by the University of Cambridge this week that it may begin to videotape its interviews for admissions is somewhat disturbing. The idea of an omnipresent Big Brother, seemingly imposed in the name of fairness, has more sinister implications. As it is generally the more reticent and self-effacing applicants who dread the notorious Oxbridge interview, can these intrusive measures really be designed to put such candidates at ease? Must we sacrifice their confidence for equality?
If such action is taken, the entire interviewing process is likely to be made redundant. The Data Protection Act guarantees everyone a legal right to view footage of themselves. The tendency for appeal after a denied application would become so great therefore as to force tutors to simply apply a dull formula to every interview to ensure invariable treatment. If the authorities at Oxford find themselves faced with the same decision, they should refuse the cameras. It is not only their privacy under threat. It is their entire authority over admissions.
Yet another article published in the national press this week suggests our university will charge increasingly extortionate amounts for an Oxford education, apparently based on advice from a City consultancy firm. The details of the article were found to be grossly innacurate by The OxStu news team. As the issue of fees reaches its boiling point, however, it is clear that any opportunity to report on a finance crisis will be fully exploited. We should all be wary of the hype, and wait for the facts.
22nd Jan 2004