Big Brother Survey Unveiled

UK-based surveillance expert Dr William Webster is to lead a four-year Europe-wide study to examine the impact of living in a 'surveillance society'.

Funded to the tune of half a million Euros and co-ordinated by the European Science Foundation's COST programme, 'Living in Surveillance Societies' (LISS), will be conducted by a network of more than 90 researchers based in 15 countries.

Its aim is to raise awareness of the issue and help inform related policy and practice across Europe. It will also look at the experiences of the impact of surveillance on people, businesses, technology and governance.

The team will be led by Webster, who is a Senior Lecturer in Stirling Management School, and is a recognised expert on closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras, e-government and electronic public services.

'Surveillance takes place on an unprecedented scale, with vast amounts of personal data collected, analysed, processed and stored for reasons ranging from national security, e-government and market research,' stated Webster. 'The programme is about facilitating a better understanding of what it is like to live in a society where technologically mediated surveillance is so prevalent - both for the surveyor and the surveyed.'

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) does not fund research itself, but supports networking activities such as meetings, conferences, scientific exchanges and outreach activities. It works on the principle that there will be economic benefit deriving from the collaborative academic activities of the researchers, which in this case is estimated to be 80 million Euros.

Web site: www.external.stir.ac.uk .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.