| Synopsis: |
Although most Canadians are familiar with surveillance cameras andairport security, relatively few are aware of the extent to which thepotential for surveillance is now embedded in virtually every aspect ofour lives. We cannot walk down a city street, register for a class, paywith a credit card, hop on an airplane, or make a telephone callwithout data being captured and processed. Where does such informationgo? Who makes use of it, and for what purpose? Is the loss of controlover our personal information merely the price we pay for using socialmedia and other forms of electronic communication, or should we be waryof systems that make us visible-and thus vulnerable-toothers as never before?The work of a multidisciplinary research team, Transparent Livesexplains why and how surveillance is expanding-mostlyunchecked-into every facet of our lives. Through an investigationof the major ways in which both government and private sectororganizations gather, monitor, analyze, and share information aboutordinary citizens, the volume identifies nine key trends in theprocessing of personal data that together raise urgent questions ofprivacy and social justice. Intended not only to inform but to make adifference, the volume is deliberately aimed at a broad audience,including legislators and policymakers, journalists, civil libertiesgroups, educators, and, above all, the reading public. |