Is ‘Uberveillance’ Coming for Us All?

It’s No Longer Sci-Fi. Trackers Embedded in Our Bodies Are Threatening Our Privacy—and Our Humanity

The smartphone has become a modern Swiss Army knife: driver’s license, e-payment device, camera, radio, television, map, blood pressure monitor, workstation, babysitter, pocket AI, and general gateway to the internet. And now consumers are leaving their smartphones behind to sport lightweight smartwatches with equivalent functionality. With every update, our devices inch closer to us—our bodies, our minds. From the handheld, to the wearable, to the … What next?

Nearly 20 years ago, in 2006—before X, Amazon Web Services, iPhone, Fitbit, Uber, or ChatGPT—M.G. Michael was faced with a similar question. He …

| Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Government Surveillance Expert Faiza Patel

I Practice Basic Digital Hygiene

Faiza Patel is a senior director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program. Before sitting down on a panel for the Zócalo event “What Is the …

| Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

ACLU SoCal’s Mohammad Tajsar

I’ve Seen U.S. Marshals Tackle Somebody in Court

Mohammad Tajsar is a senior staff attorney at the ACLU Southern California, focusing on national security policy, electronic surveillance, and individual rights in the digital world. Before sitting down on …

| Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

UCLA’s Ramesh Srinivasan

I’ve Never Been a Typical Engineer

Ramesh Srinivasan has been a professor at UCLA since 2005. He is the founder of the university-wide Digital Cultures Lab, which explores the meaning of technology. Before moderating the Zócalo …

Big Brother Is Watching. But We Can Resist

At Last Night’s “What Is the State of Surveillance?” Program, Panelists Spoke About What We Can Do About the Orwellian Present

“Can surveillance be a necessary evil?”

The question came near the end of yesterday’s public program, “What Is the State of Surveillance?,” held at the ASU California Center in the historic …

Why Privacy Might Not Be Worth Protecting | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Why Privacy Might Not Be Worth Protecting

A Recent Invention, It Has Never Been a Universal Value—Nor Is It Essential to Democracy  

Is privacy overrated?

The question might seem daft, given how gravely privacy is endangered in our digital age. Spies in government and the private sector routinely devour data for insights into …