A 42-year-old was beaten up and shot by two robbers last Sunday in downtown Rio de Janeiro. CCTV footage which emerged on Tuesday shows that the charity worker was still alive when two police officers passed by. But instead of stopping to help, they let go his killers and drove away. Read more...

Big Brother is gaining ground in the UK, where citizens are being invited to watch CCTV footage in a "stop thief" type of online game. And it's not only for fun - if they catch a criminal red-handed, they could earn 1,000 pounds. Read more...

In an attempt to crack down on shoplifters, a UK storeowner has begun posting CCTV images of suspected thieves on the company's website, along with the incentive of a 500-pound (€580) reward for those who successfully identify thieves. On Saturday, the scheme claimed its first victim. But is it legal? Not entirely, a lawyer explains to us. Read more...

This scantily-dressed Londoner is the latest victim of unwanted fame that Google Street View can bring you as you go about your daily business. The image has reignited the debate over the legitimacy of Street View - a topic we looked at in December. Read more and see other "Street View celebrities"...

In March 2008 British police shocked Londoners by asking them to report "odd-looking" photographers and houses with "unusual activity". Despite massive criticism for infringing on civil liberties last time, the Metropolitan Police is now going further, asking residents to rummage through wheelie bins and report anyone who dares glance at a CCTV camera. Read more...

A group of crime-busting Texan sheriffs has launched an online surveillance system that makes it possible for the public to watch the Mexican border on CCTV 24 hours a day. Since its launch last Thursday... nothing has happened. So what's the point? Read more...

A new generation of vending machines is out in Japan. Fitted with a direct line to the police and CCTV, the flash machines don't just serve coke, but combat crime at the same time. Not such a good idea, according to one of our Observers in the country. Read more...

Along with the explosion of surveillance cameras comes a new type of filmmaking. Using a technique called "video sniffing"; the pirate filmmakers capture CCTV footage from shopping centres and the police to "retake control of their environment". Read more and see our selection of sniffed videos...

This CCTV video, taken in the psychiatric ward of a Brooklyn hospital on 19 June, has caused outrage in the US. The footage shows a woman collapsed on the floor while staff choose to ignore her. When help is finally called after an hour, the woman is already dead. Read more.

Video surveillance cameras go relatively unnoticed in London, despite it being the most surveyed country in the world. In France however, where plans to increase their numbers by threefold have just been announced, the extra eye-spies will not go up without a fight. Read more...