Must you watch Drawing the curtains against the prying eye of Surveillance

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Must you watch?Drawing the curtains against
the prying eye of Surveillance

• By Giulia Iris Mariotti

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Central question

• Does the tension arising between Surveillance
  and Privacy still exist today, or is the latter
  now on its deathbed?

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(No Transcript)
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What is Surveillance?

• He sees you when you're sleeping He knows when
  you're awake He knows if you've been bad or good
  So be good for goodness sake
• Santa Claus is coming to Town
• Gillespie and Coots

Surveillance is The careful watching of a
person or place, especially by the police or
army, because of a crime that has happened or is
expected. (Cambridge Dictionary of
English) Surveillance aims to influence or
manage those whose data have been collected.
(David Lyon)
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Traditional Surveillance
Used to be direct human observation of other
human beings (e.g. Panopticon)
Prison of Santo Stefano, Island of Ventotene,
Italy (1795 - 1965)

• Moved to paper files (Employers, Governments,
  Financial Institutions)
• Today the medium of surveillance is replaced by
  electronic means, and mass surveillance is
  carried out through extensive computer networks

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Surveillance Technology e-Surveillance

• Lyon surveillance aims to influence or manage
  those whose data have been collected, through
• ICTs
• Links (nodes) between different databases for -
  at times unethical - purposes (credit score,
  medical history, etc.)
• Automation and routine (Ball and Webster who
  thinks about the traces we leave when paying for
  the groceries by credit card?)
• Creation of Data Image (Laudon more
  predictable and reliable than me)

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Surveillance Technology Military Surveillance

• Webster Surveillance is conducted by the State
  in pursuit of its security concerns, i.e.
  Defence/War
• NATOs AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control
  System)
• An electronic system based on a radar planned for
  carrying out air surveillance missions for air
  defence
• Main role to carry out surveillance for the
  Allied Forces in a timely and far-reaching way
  (ships, submarines, high and low-flying aircraft)
• Hard facts
• 17 aircraft
• operate from altitude of 30,000 feet
• survey the NATO airspace over a 300km radius
• based in Geilenkirchen (Germany)

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What is Privacy?
Privacy isthe individuals right to be left
alone Warren and Barrein, USA, 1928

• Perfect privacy does not exist (except for
  hermits)
• Privacy is a relative concept as
• Prehistoric societies knew no privacy (even
  Ancient Greeks believed on the contrary that
  freedom was to be found in the Public Sphere)
• Even those who believe that matters relating to
  ones innermost self are intrinsically private
  are unable to pinpoint the area more precisely
• On the other hand, many believe that no aspects
  of our life are intrinsically private, but are
  just conventionally so

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Surveillance and Privacy

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Contemporary Surveillance the Cons

• Conflictual relationship with ICTs
• Data on computer networks/databases problems
  regarding access and hackers
• Issues regarding telephone calls/IDs
• Electronic means of payment leaving traces
• Debates on CCTVs
• Invasion of Privacy through Spam (1864)
• However, not all is negative

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Contemporary Surveillance the Pros

• We gain in terms of
• Security (e.g. when we travel)
• Ease (electronic means of payment)
• Speed (toll-booths)
• Also, privacy intrusions (DeCew) are legitimate
  and desirable for public safety (e.g. drug and
  alcohol tests for airline pilots and drivers)

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Conclusions
My answer to the central question is Do ut
des I renounce part of my privacy but in return
I gain increased and more effective security,
speed and efficiency, thus restoring the
symmetry. In other words, Privacy is not on its
deathbed, however it is subject to negotiation
between the individual and surveilling
institutions.
Do ut des restores the Balance
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Proposal for future research
Research into the element of voluntariness of
certain people to publicise things that are
private (e.g. Granny wants to be microchipped is
that right?). What could this lead to?