Some of the most arresting images of emergencies, police actions, protests, and also more mudane civic happenings made in the past few years haven't been the work of professional photographers or news videographers, but of "regular people" pointing their cell phones and personal video cameras at what's going on around them. At WorldChanging, we call this shift in who's creating the visual record from the few to the many the "participatory panopticon." We've been discussing its potential to balance the scales between the State, which has the power to execute surveillance from above as it chooses, and the People, which by sheer numbers can counter that power of the State with mass "sousveillance," or watching from below.

In just one example, I noted on WorldChanging global in 2005 how citizen video made during the 2004 Republican National Convention proved that people had been arrested without cause, and didn't resist (contrary to statements by the NYPD and the Mayor); that police officers misrepresented the events at trial; and that prosecutors had selectively edited the video record to prove their cases. 91 percent of the 1,670 RNC arrest cases that proceeded had ended with charges dropped or a verdict of not guilty as a result at that time.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and/or the team around him, have clearly taken note of this phenomenon, and thought about how to harness it for the general good. Last week, in his State of the City address, the Mayor announced that both the 311 and 911 lines would be equipped to receive cameraphone photos and videos:

To build stronger trust and cooperation between the public and the police, we're also going to empower more New Yorkers to step forward and join the fight against crime. This year, we'll begin a revolutionary innovation in crime-fighting: Equipping "911" call centers to receive digital images and videos New Yorkers send from cell phones and computers something no other city in the world is doing.

If you see a crime in progress or a dangerous building condition you'll be able to transmit images to 911, or online to NYC.GOV. And we'll start extending the same technology to 311 to allow New Yorkers to step forward and document non-emergency quality of life concerns holding City agencies accountable for correcting them quickly and efficiently.

I can't think of many people more informed on this front than my friend, and WorldChanging co-founder, Jamais Cascio; sure enough, he beat WorldChangingNYC to the punch on his blog Open the Future last week. Take it away, Jamais (added emphasis is mine):

This is one of those developments that makes so much sense, it's a wonder that nobody made it happen earlier...[A]s much as it has the potential for frivolous or malicious use -- just as regular 911 calls do -- it has the potential to give first responders a better idea of an emergency situation, allowing the professionals and the civilians to work together to evaluate conditions.

It's also an example of how a participatory panopticon society can be embraced by traditional channels of authority and social control. This will undoubtedly have some benefits, but it also raises uncomfortable questions. Will the photo/video 911 calls be given greater priority than the voice-only calls? Conversely, will the police respond as quickly to a situation where they can see the color of the victim (the NYC police is known for having issues in this regard)? And for me, the big question: will the existence of an "official" channel for using cell phones to capture images and videos of emergency and non-emergency problems eliminate non-official versions?

Read the whole thing at Open the Future.

So what do you think about this move by the City? Will you be sending photos and videos to 311 and 911?