'Surveillance apathy' is the problem

Knowing it and getting used to it: surveillance apathy turns out to be more worrisome than the proper lack of understanding online surveillanc.

You may be sick of worrying about online privacy, but surveillance apathy is also a problem. We all seem worried about privacy. Though it’s not only privacy itself we should be concerned about: it’s also our attitudes towards privacy that are important.

When we stop caring about our digital privacy, we witness surveillance apathy. And it’s something that may be particularly significant for marginalised communities, who feel they hold no power to navigate or negotiate fair use of digital technologies.

In the wake of the NSA leaks in 2013 led by Edward Snowden, we are more aware of the machinations of online companies such as Facebook and Google. Yet research shows¹ some of us are apathetic when it comes to online surveillance.

So while we’re aware of the issues with surveillance, we aren’t necessarily doing anything about it, or we’re prepared to make compromises when we perceive our safety is at stake.

– Siobhan Lyons in The Conversation, 08 Nov. 2017