Surveillance in the Big Data Era

Abstract

The development of networked, mobile devices has made possible anytime, anywhere access to digital information and communication resources. At the same time, thanks to the interactive capability of these devices, pervasive monitoring goes hand-in-hand with pervasive information and computing technology (PICT). As our ability to share data goes mobile, so too does the ability to track a growing range of information about our activities, our movements, our preferences, behaviour and interests. The ability to collect and sort large amounts of data about people leads to changes in the way monitoring and surveillance works. It also marks the convergence between monitoring in contexts ranging from marketing and political campaigning to policing and security. This chapter considers some of the shifts associated with surveillance in the digitally-enhanced era of so-called “big data,” and explores some of the ethical and social concerns it raises. It argues for the importance of several types of control and accountability measures related to the collection and use of personal information.