Whether we like it or not, surveillance is embedded in our society. How does this affect the workings of the government and private sector?

Kirstie Ball, Reader in Surveillance and Organisation in the OU Business School, is continuing her surveillance society based research with a project ‘The New Transparency: Surveillance and Social Sorting’. This research looks at the role technology companies play in promoting  surveillance internationally – working with colleagues at the Canadian universities of Queen’s, Alberta and Victoria.

A project workshop at the OU brought together academics from across the US, Australia, Canada and Europe, and included a keynote speech from the UK’s Deputy Information Commissioner, Jonathan Bamford.

The research is expected to reveal an emergent picture of how the spread of surveillance in society is deeply embedded in the activities and movements of global capital. The project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canada.