Projects / Programmes
Surveillance and Crime Control: Ethical, legal and criminological aspects of emerging pre-crime detection and surveillance technologies
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.07.00 |
Social sciences |
Criminology and social work |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S160 |
Social sciences |
Criminology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.09 |
Social Sciences |
Other social sciences |
Social control, surveillance, crime control, surveillance technology, detection technology, ethics, law, criminology
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
26029 |
PhD Aleš Završnik |
Criminology and social work |
Head |
2011 - 2013 |
502 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Technical forms of surveillance, enabled by developments in microelectronics, databases and computer networks, have increased the surveillance of our daily life. Our communications, movements and even the functioning of our bodies are constantly recorded: communications in public telecommunication networks are tracked by mandatory data retention legislation, physical movement is monitored by video in public places, while bodily functions may be screened by devices such as security body-scanners. In many Western societies, technology-enhanced surveillance has become perceived as a means of solving social problems, particularly those of crime and terrorism.
Technically enhanced surveillance is “digitalised”. This allows agencies to accumulate, preserve and organise data much more efficiently, creating sensitive personal data databases and using tools such as “data mining” to combine and cross-reference information from formerly separate sources. The impact on fundamental liberties, especially equality and privacy, and on basic principles of democratic liberal societies, has consequently been profound. New surveillance technologies purport to be neutral, but it is necessary to analyse them from ethical, legal, human rights and criminological perspectives. For technology is inescapably political in its uses. By protecting, for example, environments characterised by social, political and economic inequalities it can reinforce the conditions already at work there, to the detriment of social equality, justice and social cohesion.
Contemporary surveillance studies remain culturally biased to an Anglo-American milieu and that of “older” EU member states, despite considerable conceptual innovation. The geographical limitation of the project will thus fill this gap (or part of it) and supplement existing surveillance studies with insights from a part of Europe which has to date been unrepresented in the field. It will thus identify, analyse, evaluate and compare technically enhanced surveillance practices (TESPs) in East and Central European countries. The other factors justifying the geographical focus of the project are the very rapid and profound political, economic, social and legal changes that marked Central and Eastern Europe over the last 20 years.
The surveillance domains to be analysed and evaluated are: (1) the traffic surveillance (airport and road surveillance including, for instance, video surveillance technology, tooling surveillance systems together with the Galileo global navigation satellite system and the in-vehicle emergency call initiative - “eCall”); (2) the public telecommunications surveillance (surveillance of the content and traffic); (3) the consumer surveillance (e.g. frequent flyer and loyalties programmes, city management electronic payment systems, e.g. Urbana smart card); (4) the border surveillance (e.g. programmes of virtual community watch systems, EU instruments regulating the collection, storage or exchange of personal data for the purpose of law enforcement or migration management, such as SIS II, EURODAC, VIS, API).
The selected surveillance domains that are the most significant for crime control in the region will be tackled on the grounds laid out by the following set of questions: (1) efficacy and efficiency of surveillance technologies for crime control, (2) social costs and benefits of surveillance systems applied in a particular surveillance domain, (3) the impact of surveillance systems on fundamental rights and liberties and (4) citizens’ perception of surveillance systems.
The expected result will be a set of guidelines enabling crime policy decision makers and the surveillance industry to balance human rights and civil liberty issues alongside purely technological concerns when designing and applying surveillance systems for use in the field of crime control. The overall objective is to minimise the negative consequences of emerging surveillance technologies.
Significance for science
The research project consolidated and deepened knowledge of criminology and contemporary surveillance studies. It built upon studies carried out for the most part in the Anglo-American milieu and complemented the current state of advanced research by identifying, analysing and evaluating the selected surveillance domains as they have developed in the selected east and central European countries. Through the specialised elements of its topic, and geographical area of research, the project demonstrated national and regional particularities and made possible further comparative studies and academic synergies. The project did much to enhance the role of Slovenian science in the existing international research networks. It greatly aided the post-doctoral candidate in his task of co-operating with other surveillance specialists within the European Cooperation in Science and Technology Action “Living in Surveillance Societies” and COST Action “Crime Prevention through Urban Design and Planning”. The collaboration lead to submitting new research project to the Framework Programme 7 tenders, to organising international scientific events in Ljubljana, to publishing special edition of a peer-reviewed journal and publishing chapters in the so called acknowledged international publishing houses, e.g. Springer, Psychology Press. The interdisciplinary nature of the project lead to it having impact on several scientific fields including: (a) Criminology: The results obtained via the geographical focus elaborated in the project supplemented the current state of research on technologically enhanced surveillance practices (TESPs). (b) Legal science, in particular criminal law, constitutional law and philosophy of law: since the objective was to determine the impact and effects of surveillance systems on human rights and freedoms, the project has strong implications for criminal and constitutional law; its focus on the analysis of the profound ethical consequences TESPs have for daily civic life impacted on philosophy of law. (c) Sociology and Security studies: the project focused on the sociological implications of surveillance, such as social sorting, and since contemporary surveillance technologies are commonly justified by the part they can play in preventing and detecting criminal acts, the project contributed to the development of security studies. The project yielded both concrete data on and fresh descriptive models for: (a) Individual surveillance technologies: the project identified, analyzed and evaluated regulation of concrete surveillance technologies, e.g. the police use of IMSI-catchers. (b) Selected surveillance domains: analysis of TESPs within the selected surveillance domains allowed assessment of the quality, quantity, trends and other dimensions of surveillance in a particular surveillance domain (e.g. impact of public perception of data retention on trust in on-line communication). (c) The state of surveillance in individual countries and the East and Central European region as a whole. Academic results comprise a co-authored monograph (Springer, 2012), a chapter (Psychology Press, 2013) and a draft of scientific monograph on surveillance (Ashgate, 2014) published by the acknowledged international publishing houses; a scientific article published in Scopus-rated journal; short professional articles (16) and eleven contributions at scientific events. The organisation of the final conference on drones placed the Slovenian research community at the centre of the European surveillance studies field. The project placed Slovenian science on the map of countries that are conscious of profound impacts that new information technologies may have on surveillance and what societal and regulatory challenges they pose. The project’s results constituted an integral part of current master and doctoral programs on which the post-doctoral candidate lectured, i. e. at two national universities and the University of Oslo.
Significance for the country
Long-term impact of the research project was to contribute to the development and use of surveillance technologies more attuned to respecting civil liberties and minimising social costs of their use in the selected surveillance domains in the selected central and east European countries. The project thus contributed to the long-term development of not only Slovenian, but also European society at large. The central dimensions of the research project had direct short and long-term impacts on the economy and society. The goal was to demonstrate that it is necessary to outlaw surveillance technologies (a) that are not effective in preventing, detecting and prosecuting crime, (b) that cause substantial social harm, and (c) disproportionally affect fundamental human rights. The goal of reducing cost of technically-enhanced surveillance were achieved through four different strategies: (a) Enhanced scientific knowledge and education by consolidating and deepening knowledge with academic outputs and integrating research findings into university programmes; (b) Inclusive policy making that builds upon a multi-stakeholder approach and recognises costs and benefits of surveillance systems; (c) Greater public awareness of the impact of enhanced surveillance on civil liberties by academic and non-academic channels; (d) Technology analysis by providing comments on technology design (privacy by design). Improved social policy The project identified the stakeholders of technically-enhanced surveillance and offered a platform for cooperation. At the short-term, stakeholders received first feedback on the effects of surveillance technologies on fundamental human rights and liberties and the effectiveness of surveillance systems for the prevention, detection and prosecution of crime. Academic outputs revealed the most pervasive surveillance technologies and practices, e.g. amendments to Slovenian criminal procedure act (ZKP-M) on police digital investigation powers. Stakeholders, such as police and ministry of justice, received insights into public perceptions of new surveillance technologies, while businesses received insights into public perceptions of their business models affecting clients’ privacy. The project contributed to a more informed crime policy. It achieved its goal by researching the concrete impacts of surveillance technologies on fundamental human rights and liberties in criminal procedure. This was achieved through many outputs. For instance, police and DPA were given floor to exchange their views on how to balance issues of human rights and civil liberties alongside purely technological concerns when applying surveillance systems for use in the field of crime control. The potential impact of the project on social policy may be seen in its relevance for other social policies, e.g. school safety and personal data protection policies. Enhanced technological innovation The project advocated the idea that the crime policy decision-makers and the surveillance industry must work together in order to balance human rights and civil liberty issues alongside purely technological priorities when developing surveillance systems. Inviting the stakeholders to cooperate at the conference helped achieve this goal. For instance, UAVs industry gained an insight into the impact their products and services are having. The project fostered existing networks, e.g. collaboration in COST Actions, and developed new networks of stakeholders. This innovative approach elevated trust in surveillance technologies and encouraged economic growth in the long term. Enhanced awareness on surveillance society By generating public discussion and with the help of a special webpage dedicated to news related to the latest surveillance developments, and finally, with a photography contest and subsequent photo exhibition entitled »Who is watching you?« the project increased awareness on technologically-enhanced surveillance.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2011,
2012,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2011,
2012,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
