The UAE has more than 100,000 IP-based cameras which are watching residents 24/7, according to an expert.

IP-based cameras mean they are connected to computers always, Gilles Ortega, the regional manager of Axis Communications, was quoted as saying in the Gulf News report.

About 95 to 99 per cent of these cameras are in public areas, claimed Ortega. Axis is a leading maker of IP-based cameras.

However, he explained that residents need not worry about constant surveillance and breach of privacy as  companies were not actually watching individuals.

While shopping malls and retailers use the cameras to study footfall and sales patterns, banks and education institutions use them for security purposes and  transportation firms buy them to monitor traffic.

In terms of numbers, UAE companies use more cameras than their American or European counterparts mainly due to the size of the projects, Ortega explained.

While the average number of cameras on a site in UAE is about 300, it is only about 50 in the US, he added.