Artificial noses that sniff explosives, cameras that I.D. you by your ears, chips that analyze the halo of heat you emit. Together these developments herald a high-tech surveillance society that not even George Orwell could have imagined -- one in which virtually every advance brings benefits as well as intrusions.
In light of the recent wave of terror attacks in the UK, Turkey, and Egypt, biometrics technology is increasingly being discussed as a means to tackle terrorism, not to mention fraud and theft.
The author looks at how Britain became the "world's premier surveillance society", with over 4 million CCTV cameras in active use, and how the use of these devices to track the subway bombers have changed the debate.
The use of surveillance cameras in private businesses and public spaces has been a matter of debate for some time. But even as the controversy becomes more heated, the use of surveillance equipment is surging, driven by new digital technology, falling prices and terrorism jitters.
An in-depth look at the implications of ubiquitous webcams, tracking devices, and interlinked databases on individual privacy and security.
The American Civil Liberties Union has released a new report on the many ways the United States is "drifting toward a surveillance society, and what we need to do about it."
[ Link to Full Report ]
The many post-September 11 surveillance upgrades -- and ever-savvier hackers -- ensure the further erosion of privacy as we knew it.
For two decades, high tech moved inexorably toward greater convenience and personal empowerment.The trend was toward a decentralized system of ever-smaller, cheaper and more powerful gadgets. These days, fear of terror is shifting the emphasis to centralized surveillance meant to make America safer.
Adam L. Penenberg surveys the range of surveillance options that have emerged since the September 11th terrorist attacks and argues that a surveillance society will bring about a greaterdegree of security and transparency.
Jeffrey Rosen argues that after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans are likely to find themselves living their lives "under the gaze of a network of biometric surveillance cameras, peering at them in government buildings, shopping malls, subways and stadiums." He draws on the experience of the United Kingdom to explain the consequences of living in a surveillance society.