Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Most of us take for granted today that our personal data are required for many purposes and that our images, scans, and traces are used by organizations. When we identify ourselves we usually need evidence to back up our claim: an ID card, a PIN, a drivers’ license, or a passport. We are not surprised to see video surveillance cameras in the street or the shopping mall and we are aware that our transactions, phone calls, and emails are logged and processed. Personal data are extremely valuable to many agencies today, from marketers to insurance companies to the police. Not all ordinary citizens, workers, travelers, or consumers realize, however, the scale or significance of surveillance today. Personal data businesses are worth billions of dollars, and government departments and law enforcement agencies mount massive computer and telecommunications systems to support their processing of such data. Surveillance in these circumstances cannot but involve questions of power and the distribution of rights and responsibilities. While ostensibly personal questions about privacy may well be raised, public issues also demand attention – of how our choices and life-chances are affected by surveillance and how trust and accountability can be enhanced. Surveillance is as old as human history, but over the past few decades it has risen rapidly to a position of central importance – and controversy ... log in or subscribe to read full text