[pcrh]

I am not speaking of the effect that corporations may have on the legislative process, but rather of the effect of local policing on the lives of local people.

My concern is that excessive surveillance leads inevitably to excessive perceptions of culpability.

One does not need to be formally found guilty for a run-in with the law to lead to "temporary" detention and legal bills; and if you can't afford the legal bills, maybe you might be forced into plea bargaining and end up with a criminal record. Even if this scenario does not happen, a genuine harm to one's reputation as a result of "helping the police with their enquiries" often occurs, especially if one is a middle class corporate employee.

[harryh]

It's funny how fast you downgraded from governments imprisoning people to "genuine harm to one's reputation."

[pcrh]

>"temporary" detention

If you can't post bail you could be in jail for months on end, with no compensation if eventually found innocent.