Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society

Chapter Summary

In this chapter, Jan Stanley and Barry Steinhardt argue that privacy and liberty in the United States are at risk. They believe that a combination of lightning-fast technological innovation and the erosion of privacy protections threaten to transform the United States into a Surveillance Society. They begin by discussing the explosion of technologies — e.g. computers, cameras, sensors, wireless communication, GPS, and biometrics — that have dramatically increased surveillance power. They then turn to discussing the weakening of legal restraints on the use of that power since September 11th, 2001. Although their focus is on the United States, the same factors — increases surveillance capabilities and decreased restrictions and oversight of their use — apply in many other countries as well.

This chapter is excerpted from Jan Stanley and Barry Steinhardt (2003) Bigger Monster Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society (American Civil Liberties Union). It appears here by permission of the American Civil Liberties Union and the authors.