The DNI Open Source conference this morning saw a fascinating debate on the implications of the information explosion for privacy.
As people live more of their lives on line and intelligence agencies become more sophisticated at tracking their digital trails, we move closer to the Panopticon, famously defined by Bentham as:
A new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example: and that, to a degree equally without example, secured by whoever chooses to have it so, against abuse.
Can there be any protection against this? Not according to one of the speakers, who argued that the surveillance society is now irresistible. Other panellists argued that the legal framework will protect privacy, striking a balance (though not necessarily a perfect one) between the rights of the individual and pressing security concerns.
But there’s a problem with this. These rights are only granted to ‘US persons’. Which makes me wonder: how sophisticated can US government surveillance become before ‘non-US persons’ begin to regard its intrusions as an unacceptable and hostile act?
And what impact will that have on the relationship the US has with the citizens of other countries?
