2023
Kamphorst, Bart A.; Henschke, Adam
Public health measures and the rise of incidental surveillance: Considerations about private informational power and accountability Journal Article
In: Ethics and Information Technology, vol. 25, iss. 4, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Accountability, Justification, Pandamic response, Public health, Surveillance
@article{nokey,
title = {Public health measures and the rise of incidental surveillance: Considerations about private informational power and accountability },
author = {Bart A. Kamphorst and Adam Henschke},
doi = {10.1007/s10676-023-09732-8},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-11-16},
urldate = {2023-11-16},
journal = {Ethics and Information Technology},
volume = {25},
issue = {4},
abstract = {The public health measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a substantially increased shared reliance on private infrastructure and digital services in areas such as healthcare, education, retail, and the workplace. This development has (i) granted a number of private actors significant (informational) power, and (ii) given rise to a range of digital surveillance practices incidental to the pandemic itself. In this paper, we reflect on these secondary consequences of the pandemic and observe that, even though collateral data disclosure and additional activity monitoring appears to have been generally socially accepted as inevitable consequences of the pandemic, part and parcel of a larger conglomeration of emergency compromises, these increased surveillance practices were not directly justified by appeals to solidarity and public health in the same way that the instigating public health measures were. Based on this observation, and given the increased reliance on private actors for maintaining the digital space, we argue that governments have a duty to (i) seek and ensure that there are justifications for collateral data disclosure and activity monitoring by private actors in the context of (future) public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, and (ii) regulate and provide accountability mechanisms for and oversight over these private surveillance practices on par with governmental essential services that engage in surveillance activities.},
keywords = {Accountability, Justification, Pandamic response, Public health, Surveillance},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The public health measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a substantially increased shared reliance on private infrastructure and digital services in areas such as healthcare, education, retail, and the workplace. This development has (i) granted a number of private actors significant (informational) power, and (ii) given rise to a range of digital surveillance practices incidental to the pandemic itself. In this paper, we reflect on these secondary consequences of the pandemic and observe that, even though collateral data disclosure and additional activity monitoring appears to have been generally socially accepted as inevitable consequences of the pandemic, part and parcel of a larger conglomeration of emergency compromises, these increased surveillance practices were not directly justified by appeals to solidarity and public health in the same way that the instigating public health measures were. Based on this observation, and given the increased reliance on private actors for maintaining the digital space, we argue that governments have a duty to (i) seek and ensure that there are justifications for collateral data disclosure and activity monitoring by private actors in the context of (future) public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, and (ii) regulate and provide accountability mechanisms for and oversight over these private surveillance practices on par with governmental essential services that engage in surveillance activities.
Macnisch, Kevin; Henschke, Adam (Ed.)
The Ethics of Surveillance in Times of Emergency Book
Oxford University Press, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Applied ethics, Emergency ethics, Pandamics, Public health, Surveillance
@book{nokey,
title = {The Ethics of Surveillance in Times of Emergency},
editor = {Kevin Macnisch and Adam Henschke},
url = {https://www.esdit.nl/9780192688309_web/},
doi = {10.1093/oso/9780192864918.001.0001},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-11-02},
urldate = {2023-11-02},
publisher = {Oxford University Press},
abstract = {The Covid-19 pandemic is arguably the first international emergency of the twenty-first century. In order to respond to this emergency, countries and governments around the world were forced to engage in a range of actions and policies that would not otherwise have been permitted. Looking in particular at the use of surveillance technologies, this book examines the challenge of ethics in emergencies. What can states do to keep their populations safe, what can citizens expect of their governments, and when are those government actions unjustified? By looking at the use of surveillance in times of emergency, this book explores ethical, philosophical, political, and social concepts, challenges them, and offers a set of views on where those concepts may evolve into the future. As a global population, we will be faced with emergencies, and it is possible that these will also be global in their impact. The ethics of surveillance in times of emergency is both of its time, and ongoing; we must learn our lessons from the last emergency, to be prepared for the next ones.},
keywords = {Applied ethics, Emergency ethics, Pandamics, Public health, Surveillance},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {book}
}
The Covid-19 pandemic is arguably the first international emergency of the twenty-first century. In order to respond to this emergency, countries and governments around the world were forced to engage in a range of actions and policies that would not otherwise have been permitted. Looking in particular at the use of surveillance technologies, this book examines the challenge of ethics in emergencies. What can states do to keep their populations safe, what can citizens expect of their governments, and when are those government actions unjustified? By looking at the use of surveillance in times of emergency, this book explores ethical, philosophical, political, and social concepts, challenges them, and offers a set of views on where those concepts may evolve into the future. As a global population, we will be faced with emergencies, and it is possible that these will also be global in their impact. The ethics of surveillance in times of emergency is both of its time, and ongoing; we must learn our lessons from the last emergency, to be prepared for the next ones.
2022
Doorn, Neelke
Wastewater research and surveillance: an ethical exploration Journal Article
In: Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, vol. 8, pp. 2431-2438, 2022.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Surveillance, Wastewater
@article{nokey,
title = {Wastewater research and surveillance: an ethical exploration},
author = {Neelke Doorn},
doi = {10.1039/d2ew00127f},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-09-02},
journal = {Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology},
volume = {8},
pages = {2431-2438},
keywords = {Surveillance, Wastewater},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2021
O'Neill, Elizabeth
Digital Wormholes Journal Article
In: AI & Society, pp. 1-3, 2021.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Digital wormholes, Microphones, Privacy, Security, Sousveillance, Surveillance, Webcams
@article{O'Neill2021,
title = {Digital Wormholes},
author = {Elizabeth O'Neill},
doi = {10.1007/s00146-021-01300-2 },
year = {2021},
date = {2021-10-21},
urldate = {2021-10-21},
journal = {AI & Society},
pages = {1-3},
keywords = {Digital wormholes, Microphones, Privacy, Security, Sousveillance, Surveillance, Webcams},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2020
Verbeek, Peter-Paul; Brey, Philip; van Est, Rinie; van Gemert, Lisette; Heldeweg, Michiel; Moerel, Lokke
Ethische analyse van de COVID-19 notificatie-app ter aanvulling op bron en contactonderzoek GGD Online
2020.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: COVID-19, Digitalisation, Surveillance, Tracking
@online{nokey,
title = {Ethische analyse van de COVID-19 notificatie-app ter aanvulling op bron en contactonderzoek GGD},
author = {Peter-Paul Verbeek and Philip Brey and Rinie van Est and Lisette van Gemert and Michiel Heldeweg and Lokke Moerel},
url = {https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2020/07/14/ethische-analyse-van-de-covid-19-notificatie-app-ter-aanvulling-op-bron-en-contactonderzoek-ggd},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-07-14},
keywords = {COVID-19, Digitalisation, Surveillance, Tracking},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {online}
}
2019
IJsselsteijn, Wijnand A.
In: Appropriate use of data in public space; From dialogue groups to new policy proposals, Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties, The Hague, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Behavioral influence, Digital transformation, Governance, Nudging, Surveillance
@inbook{IJsselsteijn2019,
title = {The digital transformation, behavioural influencing, and the government. The slippery slope from nudging to überveillance},
author = {Wijnand A. IJsselsteijn},
url = {https://www.nldigitalgovernment.nl/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/11/appropriate-use-of-data-in-public-space.pdf},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-04-01},
urldate = {2019-04-01},
booktitle = {Appropriate use of data in public space; From dialogue groups to new policy proposals},
publisher = {Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties},
address = {The Hague},
abstract = {The digital transformation of society is a fast-moving process that is fundamentally changing the world we live in. It is something the public sector must be at the forefront of, because it introduces both unprecedented potential and new challenges for society. A few pioneering cities are experimenting with digital technology in the public space, in smart city projects and in living labs, to both increase the efficiency of government services and to improve the liveability and sustainability of the urban environment. In areas of active prevention policy (safety, public health, environment), the government is considering the potential for the use of digital resources in the public space, such as sensors, ‘big data’ applications and artificial intelligence to measure, predict and influence the behaviour of the public.
These can be applied in a wide range of interventions; examples include smart street lighting used to prevent aggression, or an interactive park walk designed to encourage an active lifestyle. The actions used to influence behaviour are referred to as ‘persuasive technology’ or ‘nudging’, and the ideas behind them are broadly derived from the field of psychology. The potential to influence behaviour in the public space using digital technology comes paired with a host of sometimes difficult technical, social, legal and ethical considerations.
How, and to what extent, should the government be allowed to use public data flows, artificial intelligence and psychological persuasion techniques to influence the public’s behaviour towards the desired? And how must the government regulate itself when faced with the temptations of power and control that comes along with the digital transformation? In this essay, I will take a close look at the potential and limitations of the digital technology being used to influence behaviour, and consider the ethical questions that arise when a government starts down the slippery slope from nudging to überveillance. Along with a critical analysis, this essay will also propose solutions based on participatory design and digital literacy.},
keywords = {Behavioral influence, Digital transformation, Governance, Nudging, Surveillance},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
The digital transformation of society is a fast-moving process that is fundamentally changing the world we live in. It is something the public sector must be at the forefront of, because it introduces both unprecedented potential and new challenges for society. A few pioneering cities are experimenting with digital technology in the public space, in smart city projects and in living labs, to both increase the efficiency of government services and to improve the liveability and sustainability of the urban environment. In areas of active prevention policy (safety, public health, environment), the government is considering the potential for the use of digital resources in the public space, such as sensors, ‘big data’ applications and artificial intelligence to measure, predict and influence the behaviour of the public.
These can be applied in a wide range of interventions; examples include smart street lighting used to prevent aggression, or an interactive park walk designed to encourage an active lifestyle. The actions used to influence behaviour are referred to as ‘persuasive technology’ or ‘nudging’, and the ideas behind them are broadly derived from the field of psychology. The potential to influence behaviour in the public space using digital technology comes paired with a host of sometimes difficult technical, social, legal and ethical considerations.
How, and to what extent, should the government be allowed to use public data flows, artificial intelligence and psychological persuasion techniques to influence the public’s behaviour towards the desired? And how must the government regulate itself when faced with the temptations of power and control that comes along with the digital transformation? In this essay, I will take a close look at the potential and limitations of the digital technology being used to influence behaviour, and consider the ethical questions that arise when a government starts down the slippery slope from nudging to überveillance. Along with a critical analysis, this essay will also propose solutions based on participatory design and digital literacy.
These can be applied in a wide range of interventions; examples include smart street lighting used to prevent aggression, or an interactive park walk designed to encourage an active lifestyle. The actions used to influence behaviour are referred to as ‘persuasive technology’ or ‘nudging’, and the ideas behind them are broadly derived from the field of psychology. The potential to influence behaviour in the public space using digital technology comes paired with a host of sometimes difficult technical, social, legal and ethical considerations.
How, and to what extent, should the government be allowed to use public data flows, artificial intelligence and psychological persuasion techniques to influence the public’s behaviour towards the desired? And how must the government regulate itself when faced with the temptations of power and control that comes along with the digital transformation? In this essay, I will take a close look at the potential and limitations of the digital technology being used to influence behaviour, and consider the ethical questions that arise when a government starts down the slippery slope from nudging to überveillance. Along with a critical analysis, this essay will also propose solutions based on participatory design and digital literacy.