Surveillance After September 11 (Themes for the 21st Century)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Prominent among the quests for post-9/11 security are developments in surveillance, especially at national borders. These developments are not new, but many of them have been extended and intensified. The result? More and more people and populations are counted as "suspicious" and, at the same time, surveillance techniques become increasingly opaque and secretive. Lyon argues that in the aftermath of 9/11 there have been qualitative changes in the security climate: diverse databases containing personal information are being integrated; biometric identifiers, such as iris scans, are becoming more popular; consumer data are merged with those obtained for policing and intelligence, both nationally and across borders. This all contributes to the creation of ever-widening webs of surveillance. But these systems also sort people into categories for differential treatment, the most obvious case being that of racial profiling. This book assesses the consequences of these trends. Lyon argues that while extraordinary legal measures and high-tech systems are being adopted, promises made on their behalf - that terrorism can be prevented - are hard to justify. Furthermore, intensifying surveillance will have social consequences whose effects could be far-reaching: the undermining of social trust and of democratic participation.
From the Author
David Lyon is Professor of Sociology at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
Surveillance after September 11 (Themes for the 21st Century),David Lyon,Blackwell Publishing, Incorporated,0745631819,Electronic surveillance,Government - National,Political Freedom & Security - General,Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence,Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement,Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism,Political Science,Political aspects,Politics - Current Events,Politics / Current Events,Politics/International Relations,Social aspects,Social control,United States,Causes & prevention of crime,Human rights,POLITICAL CULTURE,PRIVACY, RIGHT OF,Social theory,Technology / Remote Sensing,Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle,WAR ON TERRORISM, 2001-
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