Surveillance and Democracy in Europe

Surveillance and Democracy in Europe PDF

Author: William Webster

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-08-17

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 1317270770

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Many contemporary surveillance practices take place in information infrastructures which are from the public domain. Although they have far reaching consequences for both citizens and their rights, they are not always subject to regulatory demands and oversight. This being said, democratic fora where citizens and institutions may question such practices cannot be mobilised without widespread awareness of the dangers and consequences of surveillance practices and who is responsible for them. Through an analysis of surveillance controversies across Europe, this book not only examines the troublesome relationship between surveillance and democracy; but also highlights the vested interests which maintain the status quo. Using a participatory theory lens, Surveillance and Democracy in Europe reveals the historical, social, political and legal antecedents of the current state of affairs. Arguing that participation is a sensitising concept which enables a wide array of surveillance practices and processes to be interrogated, this insightful volume will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as public administration and policy, political studies, organisational behaviour and surveillance and privacy.

Surveillance and Democracy

Surveillance and Democracy PDF

Author: Kevin D. Haggerty

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-07-12

Total Pages: 570

ISBN-13: 1136974504

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This collection represents the first sustained attempt to grapple with the complex and often paradoxical relationships between surveillance and democracy. Is surveillance a barrier to democratic processes, or might it be a necessary component of democracy? How has the legacy of post 9/11 surveillance developments shaped democratic processes? As surveillance measures are increasingly justified in terms of national security, is there the prospect that a shadow "security state" will emerge? How might new surveillance measures alter the conceptions of citizens and citizenship which are at the heart of democracy? How might new communication and surveillance systems extend (or limit) the prospects for meaningful public activism? Surveillance has become central to human organizational and epistemological endeavours and is a cornerstone of governmental practices in assorted institutional realms. This social transformation towards expanded, intensified and integrated surveillance has produced many consequences. It has also given rise to an increased anxiety about the implications of surveillance for democratic processes; thus raising a series of questions – about what surveillance means, and might mean, for civil liberties, political processes, public discourse, state coercion and public consent – that the leading surveillance scholars gathered here address.

Histories of State Surveillance in Europe and Beyond

Histories of State Surveillance in Europe and Beyond PDF

Author: Kees Boersma

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780203366134

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Does the development of new technology cause an increase in the level of surveillance used by central government? Is the growth in surveillance merely a reaction to terrorism, or a solution to crime control? Are there more structural roots for the increase in surveillance? This book attempts to find some answers to these questions by examining how governments have increased their use of surveillance technology. Focusing on a range of countries in Europe and beyond, this book demonstrates how government penetration into private citizens' lives was developing years before the 'war on terrorism.' It also aims to answer the question of whether central government actually has penetrated ever deeper into the lives of private citizens in various countries inside and outside of Europe, and whether citizens are protected against it, or have fought back. The main focus of the volume is on how surveillance has shaped the relationship between the citizen and the State. The contributors and editors of the volume look into the question of how central government came to intrude on citizens' private lives from two perspectives: identification card systems and surveillance in post-authoritarian societies. Their aim is to present the heterogeneity of the European historical surveillance past in the hope that this might shed light on current trends. Essential reading for criminologists, sociologists and political scientists alike, this book provides some much-needed historical context on a highly topical issue.

Bulk Surveillance, Democracy, and Human Rights Law in Europe

Bulk Surveillance, Democracy, and Human Rights Law in Europe PDF

Author: Marcin Rojszczak

Publisher:

Published: 2024

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781032582535

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"This book discusses contemporary standards of legal safeguards in the area of bulk electronic surveillance from the perspective of the European legal model. Bulk, or untargeted, surveillance, although traditionally associated with the interception of electronic communications, is increasingly used as a convenient tool for collecting information on large groups of society. The collection of redundant information, which is intrinsic to bulk surveillance, is no longer a side effect but an important objective of the use of bulk powers. As a result, untargeted surveillance is everywhere increasingly being implemented, and without any clear link to state security or crime-fighting objectives. This work examines the origins of untargeted measures, explores their mechanics and key concepts, and defines what distinguishes them from other forms of surveillance. The various elements of the legal safeguards in place, which are fundamental to protecting individuals from the risks of abuse of power, are analysed in detail. The book discusses not only the different standards of legal safeguards, but also gives examples of their implementation in individual European countries. It also examines the relationship between the development of the global data market and untargeted surveillance powers, in particular in the context of the risks associated with algorithmic surveillance, client-side scanning, the privatisation of surveillance - or Surveillance-as-a-Service - and the increasingly widespread use of preventive content filtering mechanisms. The book will be a valuable resource for academics and researchers working in the areas of law, international relations, public policy, engineering and sociology. It will also appeal to professionals dealing with various aspects of the use of surveillance measures, such as experts, members of the legislature and law enforcement agencies"--

Towards a Surveillant Society

Towards a Surveillant Society PDF

Author: Thomas Mathiesen

Publisher: Waterside Press

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1904380972

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Tracking the Surveillance Monster... Thomas Mathiesen describes how the major databases of Europe have become interlinked and accessible not just to participating countries but diverse organizations and third States; meaning that, largely unchallenged, a 'Surveillance Monster' now threatens rights, freedoms, democracy and the Rule of Law. As information is logged on citizens' every move, data flows across borders via systems soon to be under central, global or even non-State control. Secret plans are hatched behind closed doors and 'systems functionaries' become defensive of their own roles. Goals expand and entire processes are shrouded in mystery. Alongside the integration of automated systems sits a weakening of State ties as Prum, Schengen, Verizon, Prism and similar ventures lead to a lack of transparency, restraint or effective if any Parliamentary scrutiny. As Mathiesen points out in this penetrating account, the intention may have been fighting terrorism or organized crime, but the means have become disproportionate, unaccountable, over-expensive and lacking the verifiable results which ordinary vigilance, alertness and sound intelligence in communities should inherently provide. 'Brings into the light the hidden effects of [surveillance and warns] of the need for vigilance': Tony Bunyan, Director, Statewatch. 'A timely and highly troubling analysis [which] reinforces alarm regarding a panoptical globe': Andrew Rutherford.

Perceptions of Security

Perceptions of Security PDF

Author: Richard Smoke

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 9780719048135

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This is the first book to reveal what people in the eastern half of Europe really think about the international political climate in which they find themselves after the Cold War. Most of the chapters in this volume are written from the viewpoints of the main countries of the region: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and the Czech and Slovak Republics.

Surveillance Law, Data Retention, and Human Rights

Surveillance Law, Data Retention, and Human Rights PDF

Author: Matthew White ((Author of Surveillance law, data retention, and human rights))

Publisher:

Published: 2024

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781032076003

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"This book analyses the compatibility of data retention in the UK with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The increase in the use of modern technology has led to an explosion of generated data and, with that, a greater interest from law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In the early 2000s, data retention laws were introduced into the UK, and across the European Union (EU). This was met by domestic challenges before national courts, until a seminal ruling by the Court of Justice in the European Union (CJEU) ruled that indiscriminate data retention was incompatible with EU law. Since then, however, the CJEU has revised its position and made certain concessions, particularly under the guise of national security. This book focuses on data retention in the UK with the principal aim of examining compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This is explored through a variety of ways including providing an account of democracy and why secret surveillance poses a threat to it, a history of data retention, assessing the seriousness that data retention poses to fundamental rights, the collection of rights that are affected by data retention which are crucial for a functioning democracy, the implications of who can be obligated to retain (and what to retain), the idea that data retention is a form of surveillance and ultimately, with all things considered, whether this is compatible with the ECHR. The work will be an invaluable resource for students, academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of privacy, human rights law and surveillance"--

Democracy, Law and Security

Democracy, Law and Security PDF

Author: Peter Gill

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 1351945343

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In the past decade there have been significant changes in the operations of security and intelligence agencies throughout Europe. Those in the former Eastern Europe have undergone the most obvious changes in their targets and the legal context within which they operate, but these changes have affected all the agencies to some extent. It is these changes that will provide the context of structures and processes through which the agencies will respond to the September 11, 2001 attack on New York and Washington. This edited collection of papers by an international group of experts in the study of security and intelligence examines recent and current developments in the light of the rule of law and democracy and specifically addresses a number of common themes. Firstly, security and intelligence agencies are placed within the broader context of their parent state, including whether their powers originate in legislation or executive decree and the form of oversight. Secondly, the types of agency - civilian, military, foreign and domestic - are considered in the context of their historical development, including the transition from authoritarian to liberal state forms. Thirdly, the changes in their mandate and targets are discussed, in particular, towards 'terrorism', 'transnational organized crime' and economic intelligence. Finally, each author considers the enduring issue of how the impact of security and intelligence agencies is to be assessed in terms both of security and human rights. This book represents the first systematic attempt to present a collection of contemporary studies on the shifts in this crucial aspect of the operation of all states, and to do so within a framework of common themes. Although significant differences remain in the operation of security intelligence, all the authors highlight the common dilemmas that accompany the attempt to provide security but to do so democratically.