Surveillance after September 11

If you have nothing to hide, it is often said, you have nothing to fear. This was a false assumption before September 11, 2001, and its falsity has become even more palpable and pernicious ever since. That’s the starting point of this book, which details the dramatic turns taken by surveillance after 9/11, contributing to what are probably long-term consequences. Intensified surveillance became more automated, integrated and globalized. But it was also more aligned with suspicion, secrecy and fear. Some possible signposts are offered for the ethical and political challenges thrown up by post-9/11 surveillance.