Track Me, Track Me Not: Support and Consent to State and Private Sector Surveillance

• In Event: Communication and Technology Division Top Student Papers

Abstract

The current study examines consent to surveillance and attempts to draw the connection, if exists, between support for state surveillance and consent to surveillance by private entities. Contrary to a tendency in academic literature and public debates to consider private and state surveillance as similar phenomena in terms of methods, magnitude, and practice, findings show that individuals distinguish between these two types of surveillance when it comes to compliance and consent, and support for state surveillance does not correlate with consent to private sector surveillance. Furthermore, support and consent to surveillance are rather nuanced, with different factors predicting different types of surveillance, according to the justifications and contexts of surveillance methods.

Author

• Nili Steinfeld, Ariel University