Response 7:

Steve Mann's essay focuses on the question of "at what price?" the use of surveillance is coming at and the development of methodologies and technologies to question and challenge these practices. Steve Mann discusses the growing use of surveillance for safety and security and the definite invasion of privacy. From the use of facial recognition to built in TV cameras all promising a better future, Steve Mann challenges the right to be seen without the right of seeing. In addition he describes the how video surveillance superhighway defend their infrastructure. He states that this is done through the use of secrecy , using rhetoric, constancy, establishing an authority and fear tactics of criminalization of the critic. The rhetoric which is used is words like protection, safety, and trust. Constancy is established through the noninvasive manner in which cameras are placed in their surroundings. The surveillance also plays to point fingers at the critics by saying that they are paranoid or that maybe they would be criminals if the surveillance wasn’t in place. He challenges the right to capture images of people without specifics as to what their use will be. He proposes two ideas to question the practices. First of which is Reflectionism which he describes as reflecting the methodology of the oppressor right back upon him. He says that Reflectionism will allow society to see its own absurdity or blindness. If this method is not successful then he suggests a second approach which is Diffusionism. The goal of Diffusionism is to subvert the power of surveillance through the spread of wearable cameras that everyone can use and thus remove the totalitarianism of surveillance.