Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Reassembling Surveillance Creep. / Bøge, Ask Risom; Lauritsen, Peter.
In: Akademisk Kvarter, Vol. 15, 10.2017, p. 27-39.Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Reassembling Surveillance Creep
AU - Bøge, Ask Risom
AU - Lauritsen, Peter
PY - 2017/10
Y1 - 2017/10
N2 - We live in societies in which surveillance technologies are constantly introduced, are transformed, and spread to new practices for new purposes. How and why does this happen? In other words, why does surveillance “creep”? This question has received little attention either in theoretical development or in empirical analyses. Accordingly, this article contributes to this special issue on the usefulness of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) by suggesting that ANT can advance our understanding of ‘surveillance creep’. Based on ANT’s model of translation and a historical study of the Danish DNA database, we argue that surveillance creep involves reassembling the relations in surveillance networks between heterogeneous actors such as the watchers, the watched, laws, and technologies. Second, surveillance creeps only when these heterogeneous actors are adequately interested and aligned. However, obtaining and maintaining such alignment may be difficult.
AB - We live in societies in which surveillance technologies are constantly introduced, are transformed, and spread to new practices for new purposes. How and why does this happen? In other words, why does surveillance “creep”? This question has received little attention either in theoretical development or in empirical analyses. Accordingly, this article contributes to this special issue on the usefulness of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) by suggesting that ANT can advance our understanding of ‘surveillance creep’. Based on ANT’s model of translation and a historical study of the Danish DNA database, we argue that surveillance creep involves reassembling the relations in surveillance networks between heterogeneous actors such as the watchers, the watched, laws, and technologies. Second, surveillance creeps only when these heterogeneous actors are adequately interested and aligned. However, obtaining and maintaining such alignment may be difficult.
KW - Actor-Network Theory
KW - Surveillance creep
KW - DNA database
KW - Overvågning
KW - Surveillance creep
KW - DNA-register
M3 - Journal article
VL - 15
SP - 27
EP - 39
JO - Akademisk Kvarter
JF - Akademisk Kvarter
SN - 1904-0008
ER -