October 28, 2026 — 7:30pm

AI-powered facial recognition, CCTV watch lists and body-worn cameras for all security guards are under consideration at the University of Sydney in a move that has been likened to George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 .

A draft video surveillance policy shows the nation’s oldest university is contemplating using the technology for “recording details of access” and “identifying people involved in relevant conduct” under a shake-up of security operations.

One of the CCTV cameras overlooks a site on Eastern Avenue. Janie Barrett

The proposed changes, which the university says are designed to tackle theft and threats of violence, come against a backdrop of increasingly strained relations between the university and student activists.

Tensions over antisemitism and how to manage pro-Palestinian activism have remained high since the months-long encampment took hold on the grounds in 2024, while the university’s embrace of AI has been polarising and staff have twice walked off the job…