Surveillance, Privacy and Security ― Citizens?Perspectives

This volume examines the relationship between privacy, surveillance and security, and the alleged privacy-security trade-off, combining theoretical research with empirical research focusing on the citizen’s perspective.

Recent revelations of mass surveillance programmes clearly demonstrate the ever-increasing capabilities of surveillance technologies. The resulting move into a surveillance society is, however, contested for many reasons. Is it possible to gain in security by giving up civil liberties, or is it even necessary to do so? Do citizens adopt this trade-off and, if yes, are they willing to enter into this trade? The book presents quantitative and qualitative data gained from empirical research encompasses representative European-wide opinion surveys, the involvement of citizens in large-scale participatory technology assessment studies as well as studies on specific surveillance technologies. The contributions provide insights into the factors and criteria relevant for the assessment of surveillance technologies, with a specific focus on the attitudes and the reasoning of citizens vis-a-vis the legitimacy and necessity of these technologies. A second core theme is the governance of surveillance technologies. New approaches and instruments for the regulation of security technologies and measures are presented, and recommendations for security policies in line with ethics and fundamental rights are discussed.

The book presents the results of a number of large scale surveys in which citizens’ perceptions on privacy and security are investigated. A second feature of this book is that, contrary to most existing books, it makes citizens the main focus of investigation. What is their position in the discourse around surveillance and security? How are they involved in the development of surveillance/security practices? How do they feel about current surveillance technologies and practices and how is their behaviour determined?

This book will be of much interest to students of surveillance studies, critical security studies, intelligence studies, EU politics and IR in general.

Michael Friedewald is Coordinator of Business Unit Information and Communication Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation (ISI), Germany. He is co-editor ofPrivacy and Security in the Digital Age (Routledge 2014).

Johann Cas is researcher at the Institute of Technology Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna.

J. Peter Burgess is Research Professor at PRIO, Oslo, editor of the journalSecurty Dialogue and series editor of the Routledge New Security Studies boo series.

Walter Peissl is based at the Institute of Technology Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and has a PhD in social and economic sciences.

Rocco Bellanova is Senior Researcher at The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).