IRISS

Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'IRISS (Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies) will investigate societal effects of different surveillance practices from a multi-disciplinary social science and legal perspective. It will focus on the effects that surveillance practices introduced to combat crime and terrorism can have on citizens in open and democratic societies. It will review surveillance systems used in fighting crime and terrorism and will examine the driving forces that have led to the spread of these practices. It will review current research on public attitudes towards surveillance, the impact of surveillance on civil liberties and citizens’ trust in political institutions. In a set of case studies, the impact of surveillance on the everyday lives of citizens will be analysed in detail. These studies will focus on the relations between citizens and the state, between citizens and private sector institutions and between citizens. Based on the findings from these case studies, a series of comparative empirical social experiments will be conducted to test different attitudes towards surveillance in different democratic contexts. These experiments will investigate citizens’ attitudes towards surveillance and the extent to which democratic rights can be exercised under existing regimes of surveillance and how these rights can be strengthened. The empirical research will inform an analysis designed to explore options for increasing social, economic and institutional resilience. IRISS will produce a better understanding of how surveillance affects different types of societies and how different groups react to surveillance. It will produce a comprehensive account of resilience options, focussing on strengthening democratic processes and public discourse about appropriate reactions towards threats against open democratic societies. The consortium will involve stakeholders in expert workshops, an international advisory board and by other means.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An in-depth study of evolving surveillance practices in Europe is mapping the effects on society and arming policymakers with valuable insights on the topic.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

With a marked increase in security issues over the last decade, private and public organisations are turning to increased surveillance as a means to enhance safety. From online monitoring and phone tapping to video cameras and satellite tracking, surveillance is pervading many different angles of society. Against this backdrop, the EU-funded project 'Increasing resilience in surveillance societies' (http://irissproject.eu (IRISS)) is examining how surveillance is changing our world.

Taking a critical view of surveillance, the project team is studying its spread, uses, costs and effects. It is looking at how citizens are being affected by all the surveillance and reacting to what may be irreversible changes in our lifestyles. Importantly, IRISS is also investigating how citizens can access personal data stored by various institutions and agencies.

Recently, whistle-blower Edward Snowden ignited the debate on surveillance practices, offering the project team a crucial window for examining society's reactions to mass surveillance. Already, different authorities and policymakers have shown keen interest in the project's work, which has just been released in a comprehensive book titled 'Surveillance in Europe'.

The book discusses surveillance technologies and their importance in combating crime and terrorism, as well as impacts of surveillance on civil liberties and the fallout of the Snowden revelations. It also highlights recommendations and findings related to surveillance in Europe.

In parallel, the project team published a 415-page report titled 'Surveillance, fighting crime and violence' that can be downloaded from the project's website. The publication traces the co-evolution of surveillance technologies and practices to an extent not seen before.

IRISS also touches on how the security industry dominates political security discourse and the ubiquity of surveillance technologies in today's society. During a recent conference, the project team unveiled its 'Handbook on surveillance, democracy and resilience', which also serves as an online decision-making tool for policymakers.

As its work comes to a close, the project will have contributed significantly to understanding the fast-moving world of surveillance and what it means to Europeans and their governments. With surveillance spreading practically everywhere, the project team's contribution to understanding this controversial topic cannot be underestimated.