Companion Surveillance and Surveillant Subjectivities: On the Seduction of Seeing and Being Seen

Abstract

“I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded.” — Edward Snowden Edward Snowden’s 2013 disclosures were among the most significant leaks of classified intelligence information that the world has seen. Snowden’s revelations unveiled how the actions of unknowing individuals were subjected to mass tracking by an overlaying surveillance matrix. His insights put the issues of surveillance excess, democratic process, and civil rights on the public, political, and judicial radars. They accentuated the significance of surveillance measures in establishing power asymmetries and determining the life-chances of citizens. They showed the complicity of Internet service providers in the unlawful sharing of users’ personal information with security and intelligence agencies. They highlighted the intricate data exhaust that citizens routinely emit from their bodies as they participate in daily activities, and they revealed how this outflow is routinely mined and profiled against risk indicators. They painted a portrait of state-corporate collusion in surveillance operations and informational exchange. They illustrated the intimate relationship between surveillance practices, processes of capitalism, and the flexing of sovereign power. Show more