I decided to start my research into the abuse and growth of public surveillance with a book entitled The Electronic Eye, by David Lyon. Despite being written in 1994, and therefore not including some of the more recent surveillance developments, so far the book seems to have a good, rounded view of surveillance in the modern age and its implications for social privacy. Lyon begins his book with a look into the different ways in which we are impacted by surveillance on a daily basis, noting both credit information, social security numbers, the use of driver's licenses and caller ID, and several other types of data collection as ways that personal information is no longer private. He begins, in the start of this book, to explore the implications of having all personal data stored on a computer somewhere, and how easily that information can be shared and required for certain modern actions. For example, he sites his own experience moving to Canada and starting a life as a mess of data transactions and personal forms. In addition, he explores how even data given to a someone for buying a present can, by the relative sharing of that information in the private sector, lead that personal information to be recorded by the government. In short, he explores his "surveillance society" as a growing issue world wide with the growth of computers and digital technology. As two fginal notes, he mentions that the UN, in 1948, promised that "no one shall be subject to arbitrary interference in his privacy, home or correspondence." What Lyon notes and goes into is that the definition of what is "arbitrary" has been slowly changing as the definitions of what is "private" and what is "public have changed, and continue to change. In the following section, Lyon begins to explore what has led up to this modern status, and how the history of privacy legislature and practice has led us to this new "surveillance society." Later I believe he will connect this to what the implications are for the future, and what context the past should be taken in, and that's what I will be interested to see in his next segment as he continues to explore the modern publication of our own privacy.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Peering into The Electronic Eye
I decided to start my research into the abuse and growth of public surveillance with a book entitled The Electronic Eye, by David Lyon. Despite being written in 1994, and therefore not including some of the more recent surveillance developments, so far the book seems to have a good, rounded view of surveillance in the modern age and its implications for social privacy. Lyon begins his book with a look into the different ways in which we are impacted by surveillance on a daily basis, noting both credit information, social security numbers, the use of driver's licenses and caller ID, and several other types of data collection as ways that personal information is no longer private. He begins, in the start of this book, to explore the implications of having all personal data stored on a computer somewhere, and how easily that information can be shared and required for certain modern actions. For example, he sites his own experience moving to Canada and starting a life as a mess of data transactions and personal forms. In addition, he explores how even data given to a someone for buying a present can, by the relative sharing of that information in the private sector, lead that personal information to be recorded by the government. In short, he explores his "surveillance society" as a growing issue world wide with the growth of computers and digital technology. As two fginal notes, he mentions that the UN, in 1948, promised that "no one shall be subject to arbitrary interference in his privacy, home or correspondence." What Lyon notes and goes into is that the definition of what is "arbitrary" has been slowly changing as the definitions of what is "private" and what is "public have changed, and continue to change. In the following section, Lyon begins to explore what has led up to this modern status, and how the history of privacy legislature and practice has led us to this new "surveillance society." Later I believe he will connect this to what the implications are for the future, and what context the past should be taken in, and that's what I will be interested to see in his next segment as he continues to explore the modern publication of our own privacy.
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Gabe: I'm confident that you'll find a lot with this topic. I find it especially interesting that most of us are so willing to give up our privacy. Sure we'll let CVS have our personal shopping data if we can get a few cents off each purchase; sure we'll allow google to track our e-mail and find ads that might match key words in what we send if we can have their e-mail program for free; and many others.
ReplyDeleteDo people want privacy?
What's it worth to them?
You might look into the recent debates about cameras in Brookline: safety (some argued) v. privacy?
There are lots of great books about this topic; you'll enjoy the reading.
Assignment complete = 15/15