Opponents of Security Camera Systems point out the loss of privacy of the people under surveillance, and the negative impact of surveillance on civil liberties. Furthermore, they argue that Security Camera Systems displaces crime, rather than reducing it. Critics often dub Security Camera Systems as "Big Brother surveillance", a reference to George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which featured a two-way telescreen in every home through which The Party would monitor the populace.
The recent growth of Security Camera Systems in housing areas also raises serious issues about the extent to which Security Camera Systems is being used as a social control measure rather than simply a deterrent to crime.