Managing Privacy Through Accountability

Surveillance technologies form an increasingly ubiquitous presence in many EU member states. CCTV cameras, traffic regulation systems, ID cards, biometric developments, airport security checks and on-line forms of dataveillance are just some of the many ways in which the public are subject to forms of scrutiny, data collection, data storage and data sharing.

These surveillance systems are often welcomed as a means of protection and for easing public fears, but also raise profound questions for democratic states of the nature of the relationship between state and citizenry. Currently, regulation of surveillance systems differs across EU member states, including legal prohibitions, forms of licensing, self-certification, data protection and information or data protection commissioners.

Forms of accountability have emerged as one means by which the potential consequences of surveillance systems might be recognised and assessed and formally incorporated into public sector policy or into the ways in which companies do business. Managing Privacy through Accountability draws together contributions from leading figures in the field of surveillance to engage in discussion of the emergence of accountability as a central motif in debates around privacy invasion and privacy protection.

It is the first book to engage in this debate. Review: 'Can robust forms of accountability successfully temper the negative effects of contemporary surveillance? This book provides a much-needed, critical exploration of the potentials of accountability cultures to transform institutions so that privacy protections are taken seriously.' - Torin Monahan, author of Surveillance in the Time of Insecurity