While they take various forms, from stickers to plaques to human-sized canvas structures in the middle of public squares, Amsterdam has quite a variety of ways to let you know that it’s watching you. Always the question – is the sign or sticker itself enough to change behaviors, or do people need to see a camera or recording device (or something resembling one) to be convinced?

Note the fun workaround of showing stills from footage of the camera (like of a thief) as a way of proof to other would-be thieves (or at least verifying that yes, if they rob this store, they’re going to need to borrow a mask from a friend).

Interesting both the number of signs reminding you that you’re being watched (feels like more than the US, though I could be mistaken) and uniformity of the camera icon. Feels like American signs don’t bother with as much detail when it comes to iconography.

See also: the blurring lines between public and private space as Uber/Lyft proliferate, and how increasingly accessible surveillance and communication technology is changing how drivers protect themselves (and how passengers’ data is collected).