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Big Brother: The Justification Of Surveillance

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Throughout history, the response to social disorder and the rising of crimes rates has been to adopt the most modern technology and techniques available (Taylor 2002). Considerable advances in technology has dramatically increased the powers of a state to carry out surveillance upon its citizens (Taylor 2002). This therefore, without doubt brings with it the vision of an Owellian society, where in citizens are constantly under the vigilant gaze and attentive ear of “Big Brother” (Taylor 2002). Though the allusion to “Big Brother” is a popular metaphor for the role of the state in social control, it does ignore the numerous benefits that increased surveillance has brought about (Taylor 2002). In looking at surveillance in the modern period, …show more content…
If you are invited into somebodys home they are essentially consenting for you to see them in a context which would have been private and secluded from you. In the TV show Big Brother, contestants consented to being monitored round the clock for up to three months (Macnish n.d). This does not appear to be problematic from the perspective of the surveillance (Macnish n.d). As noted above, we do not feel an imposition has occurred if we choose to take up a retail stores offer of a loyalty card and the convenience that it brings (Macnish n.d). Although is might be objected strongly if it transpires that the store has been monitoring the spending of individuals without such cards by recording their credit card usage and correlating this with itemised receipts (Macnish n.d). While consent can justify surveillance, the lack of consent does not automatically invalidate it (Macnish n.d). Law enforcement does not need to seek the consent of the criminals it wishes to monitor to accumulate evidence against them, nor does the state need to gain consent of those who are genuine threats to its security (Macnish n.d). As such, when is there justifiable causes for non-consensual surveillance (Macnish n.d). One justification often given for large-scale surveillance is the appeal to the greater good (Macnish n.d). This may apply when the security of the community is best served by monitoring some or all in that community(Macnish n.d). Likely resistance to this justification is that the rights of the few may be overridden by the interests of many (Macnish n.d). Given the harms of surveillance, there must be a good reason as to why this person or group should be exposed (Macnish

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