Big Brother: Our New World of Surveillance
We once assumed that people who insisted they were being watched were paranoid—but those days are over. From online tracking to surveillance cameras to drones circling overhead, an expanding surveillance infrastructure has emerged as one of the most distinctive aspects of the 21st century.
This new world raises pressing concerns about privacy, state and corporate power, and social disadvantage.
Dr. Kevin Haggerty, Canada Research Chair in Surveillance Ecologies, is identifying and examining the rapidly evolving world of monitoring that we all encounter online, on our mobile devices, in public and even, increasingly, in our own homes.
Haggerty’s research explores the complex ways in which different surveillance systems connect, overlap and combine to create unique surveillance environments. He and his research team are looking to produce new insight into such things as the social and political implications of big data, how surveillance is transforming police practice, and public attitudes towards state and corporate monitoring.
This research will significantly advance our understanding of these fast-paced developments, and help solidify Canada’s reputation and expertise in the global surveillance revolution.