Government Surveillance

State surveillance of citizens is growing all over the world, but it is a fact of daily life in China. People are developing mental tactics to distance themselves from it.

As Martin Luther King Jr. gained national prominence, the FBI launched several investigations to prove that King and his radical allies were communist sympathizers and a danger to America.

A digital ID will only work if people are allowed to keep control of their data.

Ottawa used the old War Measures Act when it wanted sweeping powers to deal with extraordinary events. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has mused about using the newer Emergencies Act during the pandemic.

China’s social credit system has been described as a ‘dystopian nightmare straight out of Black Mirror’ but many citizens think it will help fight fraud and bring about a better society.

Surveillance software that identifies people from CCTV is eroding human rights and democracy.

ParentsNext requires places like libraries and public pools to monitor parents’ attendance at activities. This undermines their role as spaces of inclusion and support.

Even governments in democracies with strong traditions of rule of law find themselves tempted to abuse these new abilities.

AI can help make government more efficient – but at what cost? Citizens’ lives could be better or worse, based on how the technology is used.

If left unchecked, invasions of privacy enabled by technology could put every human right at risk, and on a scale that would be truly terrifying.

Virtual private networks help citizens around the world evade state surveillance – how long until more governments take action?

This is not the first time Mexico’s government has been accused of spying on and harassing citizens whose activities it finds inconvenient.

What governments and companies think they know about us – whether or not it’s accurate – has real power over our actual lives.

As searches of smartphones and other digital devices at US borders become more common, can research and computer science help protect travelers’ privacy?

The public must prepare to stand up for a free press, and against online censorship and surveillance.

People who think like hackers have some really good ideas about how to protect digital privacy during turbulent times. We can learn from them.

The Snooper’s Charter has cleared parliament, but there might still be a way to stop the government collecting all our internet histories.

We don’t expect our own government to hack our email – but it’s happening, in secret, and if current court cases go badly, we may never know how often.

Hangzhou is hosting the G20 summit and China is anxious to present a positive picture of the country to the world, but the official attitude to non-compliant citizens isn’t helping.

What kind of society do our so-called “Western and networked democracies” count as normal if humans are constantly objectified, monitored and profiled?

Polls show Americans have become less trusting and more suspicious.

An independent review recommends greater transparency but ultimately concludes surveillance can continue.