Pros And Cons Of Surveillance

With recent developments in technology, government and private surveillance has increased. Not only has the surveillance increased but also those who wish to surveil. This surveillance, like any other social issues has its pros and cons. The good it has brought to society is not something to be overlooked. On April 18th 2013, 3 days after the Boston marathon bombing took place, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released some photographs and a video of two suspects. Later that day the two brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were identified. Cameras worn by police officers, popularly known as “cop cams” or “body cams”, have also help bring some unjust officers of the law to justice as well as public attention. Also videos captured by citizens (on their mobile devices), security systems of various companies and establishments have helped in various police investigations. Also it gives society a sense of security because surveillance deters eccentric or deviant behavior. The examples, amongst others have shown these systems have helped to

Professor Anthony Giddens, a British sociologist, popularly known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies argues that argues that surveillance continually seeks the supervision of social actors and carries with it a permanent risk that supervision could lead to domination. [4] Surveillance has its effects on the power dynamic between the watcher and those being watched. This disparity increases the risk of harms such as discrimination, coercion, and the threat of selective enforcement, where critics of the government can be prosecuted or blackmailed for wrongdoing unrelated to the purpose of the surveillance. Surveillance can sometimes be necessary, even helpful. Unconstrained surveillance however, especially of our intellectual activities, threatens a cognitive revolution that cuts at the core of the freedom of the