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Civil Liberties and the Surveillance State Government surveillance is a growing threat to democracy. We need to talk about it more.

Roderick Graham · Follow

Published in Arc Digital · 8 min read · Jul 17, 2019

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There’s a clear and present danger to democracy: Government agencies can conduct mass surveillance with unprecedented ease. This threatens civil liberties that democratic peoples currently enjoy.

But few seem to care. For most citizens of Western democracies, government surveillance is a second or third order issue. Government snooping can seem inconsequential when there is worry about poor health coverage, immigration, or police violence.

But by ignoring this issue, we’re playing with fire.

Men in Blue Suits with Yellow Legal Pads

Imagine this: You walk out of your door in the morning, and a man in a crisp, navy blue suit, white shirt, and red tie is standing on the sidewalk across the street. He has a yellow legal pad in one hand, and a pen in the other. His eyes meet yours, and then he looks down at the pad and begins writing something. You get in your car and drive to work, where you notice another man in the same uniform waiting in the parking lot, observing and jotting. This state of affairs is repeated in every public space — the grocery store, the park, the bar.

Eventually, you decide to query one of the men. He tells you:

“Ma’am, this is for security reasons, and what we are doing is perfectly legal. There is no expectation of privacy in public spaces. We collect data on all citizens and store it. It’s not personal. We look at where you go, how long you stay, and who you talk to. But we don’t record the conversations. Ma’am, this is for security reasons to protect you. It’s okay. You are free to do what you like!”

How does that strike you? Does the legality make it okay? Does the fact that this is “for your security” make it okay? Do you feel free to “do what you like”? Most people would answer no.

But we effectively live in a society where the state can deploy men with legal pads in every public space at any time to surveil anyone.

The system that makes mass surveillance possible is already in place. First, there is a patchwork of technologies…

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Written by Roderick Graham Follow

556 Followers · Writer for Arc Digital

Gadfly | Professor of Sociology at Old Dominion University | I post about social science, culture, and progressive politics | Views are my own

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