Steve Mann

Mann brings to light all of this new surveillance technology now being developed, many of which I thought only existed in futuristic sci-fi movies. Some of it is supposed to keep us safe, other forms are meant to make daily activities more convenient. Either way, Mann strongly disapproves and treats the use of surveillance with cynicism. The way Mann sarcastically twists the reasoning behind video surveillance makes it seem like a superfluous use of technology. I don’t feel as negatively about surveillance as Mann does, but I am wary about using surveillance to make simple tasks such as making coffee more convenient. Certain forms of surveillance in public areas can be protective such as ones in shops or banks. However, ones such as the camera that can see through clothes or the one that starts your coffeemaker can be easily misused to violate someone’s privacy. These forms of surveillance seem a bit too risky to be put into practice. If these were used, would we still be able to draw the line between public and private areas and who would be in charge? To counter all surveillance, Mann suggests the philosophy of “reflectionism” which is basically doing unto others what they are doing to you. His experiments are interesting, but I feel like they end up only affecting the people keeping track of surveillance, not the ones in power who have put the surveillance in place. “Reflectionism” would work better if it were directed towards the “higher authority” who asked for the surveillance in the first place. At the same time, would the general public be completely ok if all surveillance is abolished? Most of us walk into the market without thinking about the fact that we are being watched nowadays because we are so used to it, but take that away and would we still feel safe? I know in certain places, people would not feel safe without surveillance, but I think I could live without it for the most part.