Abstract: Surveillance today is an unavoidable fact of everyday life for populations the world over. No longer an unusual occurrence in a specific context, or the product of some malevolent Big Brother, surveillance is ongoing, automated, ubiquitous and immersive. Power is still present, of course, but it’s blurred, involving both state and corporation. Many are inured to it – ‘I have nothing to hide, nothing to fear’ or ‘I know they have my data, they use it to oer better services’ – but surveillance today challenges much more than personal privacy. It is not only intrusive but also divisive, sorting us into categories for different treatment. Surveillance also operates in quite different societies so there are considerable variations in its impact. But wherever it is found, it downplays the human, politics and hope. This lecture explores the massive changes taking place in surveillance worldwide and calls for a reassertion of human judgement and democratic participation to challenge and to reshape surveillance for planetary human flourishing.
The Surveillance Studies Centre
c/o David Murakami Wood
Department of Criminology
University of Ottawa
Canada
