UK Surveillance Report Released

A report written by the Surveillance Studies Network and commissioned by the UK Information Commissioner's Office was released 2 November 2006.

The report describes Britain as a "surveillance society," where there are up to 4.2m CCTV cameras--about one for every 14 people--and increased monitoring of work, travel and telecommunications.

Fears that the UK would "sleep-walk into a surveillance society" have become a reality, the government's information commissioner Richard Thomas has said.

Researchers highlight "dataveillance", the use of credit card, mobile phone and loyalty card information.

The Surveillance Studies Network is comprised of several scholars well-known in the field of surveillance studies, including David Lyon, Kirstie Ball, and Charles Raab. Other experts who contributed to the report include Jason Pridmore and Nicola Green. Emily Smith, an SP researcher, also contributed additional material.

You may access the full report here.