Tag Archives: Panopticam

How much of your rights are you ready to give in for security?

Today’s message was inspired by a recent article on The Guardian about 2015 Paris attacks, questioning the balance between security/surveillance and what they called “France’s love of liberté and fraternity”.

Indeed, I think authorities and ordinary citizens should be more open to debate how much of our rights to privacy and anonymity we are prepared to compromise for an alleged safer world. This is exactly what organisations such as Privacy International and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have been doing for years…

Day 52: How much of your rights are you ready to give in for security?

Day 52: How much of your rights are you ready to give in for security?

I know, Jeremy. Watching can be a very tedious job!

Speaking of which, another reference to the same paper I mentioned a couple of posts ago, but this time about the tedious job of watchers (security personnel) in a CCTV control room. This was also reported in works by Gavin Smith here, and here.

Anyway, I’m back, happy 2016… and let not this be a tedious year!

Day 51: I know, Jeremy. Watching can be a very tedious job!

Day 51: I know, Jeremy. Watching can be a very tedious job!

Being watched while watching the watcher…

This is getting very complicated. Just when I thought there was nothing else to post here in 2015 (yes, I’ll take a break until January 4th, since the university will be closed and Jeremy will be unaccessible), I received the image below, adding more confusion to the whole watching the watchers thing (see here for more on this).

So, I guess I was being watched while I was watching Jeremy, watching me, watching him…

Merry Christmas and happy new year. “See” you in 2016, Jeremy!

Day 50: Being watched... [thanks to A.C.]

Day 50: Being watched…
[thanks to A.C.]

Weird! No timelapse video today… message was a quote by Snowden!

I delayed this post on purpose, as I was waiting the video of December 16 to appear online. So far it hasn’t come, so I decided to write this. I just find it weird that this happened. The picture below shows Panopticam channel on YouTube and the only missing part of most recent videos is the one on the 16/12/2015…

Well, yes, it can be a technical fail (I asked one of the project’s coordinators, will see!), but right on the day I showed a quote by Ed Snowden? Anyway, the message was:

“Under observation, we act less free, which means we effectively are less free.” (Ed Snowden)

Day 45: no videos on the 16/12/2015

Day 45: no videos on the 16/12/2015

Jeremy, would you look at me differently if I used Tor or encrypted my emails? The NSA would…

This message was inspired by this article in the guardian: “Attempts to stay anonymous on the web will only put the NSA on your trail” (by John Naughton)

Day 44: Jeremy, would you look at me differently if I used Tor or encrypted my emails? The NSA would...

Day 44: Jeremy, would you look at me differently if I used Tor or encrypted my emails? The NSA would…

In a digital and codified world, do we still have any privacy, Jeremy?

Ideal day for asking questions about codes, digital technologies, big data, and privacy. After leaving my message, I run straight to Somerset House to see the inspiring exhibition Big Bang Data. It’s definitely a must-see!

Day 43: In a digital and codified world, do we still have any privacy, Jeremy? [thanks to D.T.]

Day 43: In a digital and codified world, do we still have any privacy, Jeremy?
[thanks to D.T.]

Is our broadly surveilled world a “Kafkaesque” or “Orwellian” world?

A different visit today, surprised by the presence of Elaad Yain, who apparently knew about the project and kindly volunteered to be in the picture with today’s message.

By the way, the message was an allusion to the live discussion around the references to the massively surveilled world we live in. Is it better referred to Kafka, Orwell or Huxley? This interesting debate can be followed here and here.

Day 42: Is our broadly surveilled world a “Kafkaesque” or “Orwellian” world? (www.bit.ly/kohsurv)

Day 42: Is our broadly surveilled world a “Kafkaesque” or “Orwellian” world? (www.bit.ly/kohsurv)

We have all become “mobile surveillance devices”, Jeremy!

We are, to the eyes of the computational and communicational systems that control most of today’s transactions, a combination of numbers and our identity (and what we do with it) is dependable on these numbers. It’s nearly impossible to “hide” from the codification as almost all the activities of our contemporary way of life are mediated by this dematerialization of people, actions, human agency, into codes in a specific system.

The network capabilities of information and communication technologies, with the possibility of having systems and devices talking to each other (IoT), and the world-wide spread use of social media, makes anyone of us a “mobile surveillance device”.

Forget about big brother, we now have little brothers. According to Zygmunt Bauman (Liquid Modernity, 2000), “Whatever else the present stage in the history of modernity is, It is also, perhaps above all, post-Panoptical”.

Day 41: We have all become "mobile surveillance devices", Jeremy!

Day 41: We have all become “mobile surveillance devices”, Jeremy!

Splintering surveillance and new forms of territory

This was a message to try and call attention to my public lecture on the same day for the Situating Architecture seminar series. The lecture was great with good attendance and clever questions at the end. Thanks to the situating architecture people and all those who attended!

Day 38: Splintering surveillance and new forms of territory (www.bit.ly/urblab)

Day 38: Splintering surveillance and new forms of territory (www.bit.ly/urblab)