What is the difference between spying and Surveillance?

Spying and surveillance are two different things. However, many people believe they are the same, but there are several key differences between the two. If you want to find out what those differences are, then continue to read on and find more also about aircraft surveillance here.

Spying

Spying is all about trying to extract information, which is usually secretive and only a few know about. In order to extract such info, secretive methods are used, such as deploying undercover operatives. Spying can be done on a national level or it can be practiced by businesses and other types of organizations.

Spying can be conducted in various settings, including government, corporations and so forth. It can entail watching others or going undercover to gather specific types of information. For example, one can spy on an employee to ensure that they are not stealing company secrets.

Surveillance

This involves watching over a group, individual or property; And doing so on an ongoing basis. A security measure with the purpose of usually protecting something. Surveillance equipment is often installed in the area that is being watched over.

Surveillance can be used in many places, such as public places, private properties, around residential properties, businesses and more. Equipment that is often used for surveillance includes cameras and motion detectors to name a few. The type of equipment a person would need to carryout surveillance depends on what they are trying to achieve.

For example, if you run a business and you want to protect your assets, then you would want to install cameras. Surveillance can be carried out to ensure nobody steals or damages your assets. Landowners often use surveillance too, as they want to discourage people from using the land if they have received no authorization.

Spying vs Surveillance

Intent is the main difference between the two, so knowing what your intent is can determine which one you should do. Spying’s intent is to gather info, while surveillance involves keeping watch over someone or something on a continuous basis. If you install cameras to watch over your business, then you’re conducting surveillance. If you’ve hired a private investigator to find out if your employees are trying to steal company secrets, then you’re taking part in spying.

Furthermore, surveillance is usually used to prevent criminal activities from happening, such as break-ins, robberies and so forth. However, surveillance can even be used in other capacities such as monitoring the weather in order to warn the general public of oncoming natural disasters. Some people even use surveillance for small things such as ensuring their packages have been delivered.

Another key difference between the two is how drones are used. Drones are typically used in surveillance operations, especially ones involving security. Drones that have audio-recording capacities can be used for spying too, but for the most part drones are more effective at carrying out surveillance.

The Benefits Of Spying & Surveillance

Spying is beneficial because it can play a role in keeping secrets where they’re supposed to be kept. Not only that, but spying can play a crucial role in ensuring national interests and corporate interests are protected. Besides that, but there are many technologies that can be used to aid in spying operations.

Surveillance on the other hand is easier for people and businesses to do. As previously mentioned, surveillance equipment consists of cameras, motion detectors and so forth. This means acquiring such equipment is easy, but you do want to use high quality surveillance equipment.

Now you know what spying consists of and what surveillance consists of. As you can see, there are quite a few differences between the two. Which one a person, business or organization chooses to do all depends on what their objectives are.

Chris Greenwood
Chris Greenwood
Chris is the owner of the Greenwood Group, a Hubzone approved business, which specializes in leasing aircraft to local, state and federal government for a variety of purposes.