I think it only counts as 'spying' if you don't know it's there. If you're in a public place where anybody can see what you're doing, even take your picture, then I don't see the difference between having a police officer standing on the street corner observing you versus a police officer looking at you through a camera mounted on the street corner. If you know the cameras are there and you get in trouble for doing something you're not supposed to be doing, then you deserve what you get for being stupid enough to do stupid things in the public eye.