Surveillance – What is it?
March 3rd, 2008
The term surveillance commonly refers to observation from a distance through the use of electronic equipment or other technological means. In French, it literally means “watching over” while the familiar “eye in the sky” remains to be the great icon of surveillance. Notwithstanding its usefulness as a tool for law enforcement and security, there is the growing concern for loss of privacy.
Surveillance may be covert or overt, but almost always involve watching over the activities of persons or groups from a position of higher authority. A whole new field of operation has been introduced through modern electronic and computer technology from the original idea of using a spy.