Surveillance and Sousveillance

Surveillance and Sousveillance

Should we be afraid? Everywhere we go we are surveilled. The UK tops the league tables for this. If you have spare time, just count the cameras that are watching you througout a normal day. They are often unobtrusive, high above you in little metal and glass domes. They are in doorways, in shops, on every road in the land. Besides the visual record, you are being tracked for everything you transmit. On every phone conversation, every text, every email, every 'blip' !

Taking note of this, and then watching the watchers is interesting. Hence, the Guardian 'blowing' this story about the American CIA and NSA. It is fascinating really.

Everyone has to make up their own minds about this; whether good or bad - and is the price worth paying? for that extra peace of mind and national security. It is all rather a 'utilitarian' argument perhaps?

So - today's blip is a thought provoking one perhaps, and follows yesterday's theme of sound, with today's theme of vision. Combine the two perhaps. It is also a piece of 'sousveillance' ; a case of 'watching or being aware of the watchers'....

Source below from today's Guardian.


The National Security Agency has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants, according to a top secret document obtained by the Guardian.

The NSA access is part of a previously undisclosed program called PRISM, which allows officials to collect material including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats, the document says.

The Guardian has verified the authenticity of the document, a 41-slide PowerPoint presentation - classified as top secret with no distribution to foreign allies - which was apparently used to train intelligence operatives on the capabilities of the program. The document claims "collection directly from the servers" of major US service providers.