Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: Origins of Mass Surveillance
Origins of Mass Surveillance
Knowledge check
Q1. Which 1949 novel popularized the phrase 'Big Brother' and depicted a totalitarian state under constant surveillance?
- A. Brave New World
- B. Nineteen Eighty-Four ✓
- C. Fahrenheit 451
- D. We
Why: George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, introduced the figure of Big Brother, an omnipresent leader watching citizens through telescreens. The novel became the defining cultural reference for mass surveillance.
Q2. What was the name of the secret police organization of East Germany that conducted extensive surveillance of its citizens?
- A. KGB
- B. Gestapo
- C. Stasi ✓
- D. NKVD
Why: The Stasi (Ministry for State Security) of East Germany maintained one of the most extensive surveillance networks in history, relying on informants and files on millions of people. The KGB was the Soviet Union's main security agency, the Gestapo was Nazi Germany's secret police, and the NKVD was an earlier Soviet security body.
Q3. Which philosopher's concept of the 'panopticon' prison design influenced later theories of surveillance?
- A. John Locke
- B. Jeremy Bentham ✓
- C. Thomas Hobbes
- D. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Why: Jeremy Bentham designed the panopticon in the late 18th century, a circular prison where a central guard could observe all inmates without them knowing whether they were being watched. Michel Foucault later analyzed this design as a metaphor for modern disciplinary power.
Q4. What is the term for the system of internal government surveillance that expanded in the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks?
- A. COINTELPRO
- B. The Patriot Act surveillance framework ✓
- C. Project MKUltra
- D. The Echelon program
Why: The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 significantly expanded government surveillance powers, including authority for bulk collection of communications metadata. COINTELPRO was an FBI program from the 1950s to 1970s targeting domestic political groups, MKUltra was a CIA mind-control research program, and Echelon was an intelligence-sharing network, so none fits the post-9/11 expansion.
Q5. What term describes surveillance conducted by ordinary people on each other, as opposed to by governments or institutions?
- A. Sousveillance ✓
- B. Dataveillance
- C. Biometrics
- D. Cryptography
Why: Sousveillance, a term coined by Steve Mann, refers to the inverse of surveillance, where individuals monitor those in power, often using recording devices. Dataveillance refers to systematic monitoring of data trails, biometrics to identifying physical traits, and cryptography to securing communications.
Module 2
Module 2: Panopticism and the Disciplined Self
Panopticism and the Disciplined Self
Knowledge check
Q1. In Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon, what is the central architectural feature that makes the design effective?
- A. A single tower from which guards can observe all cells without being seen ✓
- B. Individual cells lit from behind so that prisoners can see one another
- C. Underground corridors that prevent prisoners from escaping
- D. Round walls that eliminate blind spots in the courtyard
Why: Bentham's key principle was a central tower with a guard who can observe every cell, while the prisoners cannot see into the tower. This asymmetry of visibility is what makes the design work.
Q2. Michel Foucault argued that the Panopticon's most important effect was on which of the following?
- A. The physical health of prisoners
- B. The prisoners' internalisation of constant surveillance, leading them to police their own behaviour ✓
- C. The economic cost of running prisons
- D. The speed at which guards could respond to riots
Why: In Discipline and Punish, Foucault argued that the power of the Panopticon lies in its ability to make the observed subject believe they are always watched, so they regulate their own conduct without the observer needing to be present.
Q3. What does Foucault mean by the term 'disciplinary power'?
- A. Power that is exercised only through violent punishment
- B. Power that operates through observation, normalisation and examination to shape individuals' behaviour ✓
- C. Power held exclusively by the state and its police forces
- D. Power that is deliberately hidden from the people it governs
Why: For Foucault, disciplinary power works through techniques such as hierarchical observation, normalising judgement and examination, producing docile and productive bodies rather than relying mainly on overt force.
Q4. In the context of panopticism, what is meant by 'the disciplined self'?
- A. A person who has completed military training
- B. A person whose behaviour is shaped by an internalised sense of being watched and judged ✓
- C. A person who refuses to obey social rules
- D. A person who keeps a personal diary of their actions
Why: The disciplined self is one that has absorbed the norms and gaze of authority, so that self-monitoring becomes automatic and the external guard is no longer needed.
Q5. Why is the Panopticon relevant to discussions of modern surveillance such as CCTV, social media or workplace monitoring?
- A. Because these technologies always lead to physical imprisonment
- B. Because they can produce similar effects of self-regulation, since people may behave differently when they believe they are being observed ✓
- C. Because they were directly designed by Bentham
- D. Because they only operate in prisons and hospitals
Why: Modern surveillance systems often do not need to be constantly watched to be effective; the awareness of possible observation encourages people to conform, much as Foucault described for the Panopticon.
Module 3
Module 3: Reality Television and the Watched Life
Reality Television and the Watched Life
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the basic premise of the Big Brother format in reality television?
- A. A group of contestants competes in physical challenges to win a cash prize
- B. A group of strangers lives together in a house under constant camera and microphone surveillance, with viewers voting to evict members ✓
- C. Celebrities are followed through their daily lives as they prepare for public performances
- D. Families compete to renovate homes within a fixed time limit
Why: Big Brother centers on contestants living in a monitored house, where they are continuously recorded and periodically eliminated through audience voting or housemate decisions. The constant observation is the core feature of the format.
Q2. The name 'Big Brother' originates from which literary work?
- A. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- B. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell ✓
- C. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- D. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Why: Big Brother is the omnipresent authoritarian figure in George Orwell's 1984, who watches citizens through telescreens. The reality show borrowed the name to evoke the theme of constant surveillance.
Q3. Which term describes the idea that people are more likely to behave in a certain way when they know they are being watched?
- A. The Hawthorne effect ✓
- B. The Dunning-Kruger effect
- C. The bystander effect
- D. The halo effect
Why: The Hawthorne effect refers to changes in behavior that occur when people know they are being observed. It is often discussed in relation to reality television, where contestants may perform for the cameras.
Q4. What is a common criticism of reality television regarding the 'authenticity' of its content?
- A. It is always filmed in black and white
- B. Editing and production choices shape the narrative, so what appears 'real' is often constructed ✓
- C. Contestants are never allowed to speak to each other
- D. Viewers are not permitted to comment on the programme
Why: Critics argue that reality TV is heavily edited and produced, with storylines, confessionals, and camera angles selected to create drama. The result is a curated version of events rather than an unfiltered record of life.
Q5. Which of the following best describes the concept of 'participatory surveillance' in the context of reality TV?
- A. Police officers take part in filming the show
- B. Viewers take an active role by voting, commenting, and monitoring contestants, sometimes online ✓
- C. Contestants are required to wear tracking devices at all times
- D. The show's producers are forced to live in the house alongside contestants
Why: Participatory surveillance describes how audiences become active watchers themselves, engaging in voting, social media commentary, and scrutiny of participants. This blurs the line between being watched and watching others.
Module 4
Module 4: Data Capture in the Digital Age
Data Capture in the Digital Age
Knowledge check
Q1. Which term describes the systematic monitoring of people's activities, communications, or data, often by governments or organisations?
- A. Encryption
- B. Surveillance ✓
- C. Anonymisation
- D. Syndication
Why: Surveillance refers to the systematic observation or monitoring of people, their behaviour, or their data. Encryption and anonymisation are protective measures, while syndication refers to distributing content.
Q2. What is the term for information that users knowingly and voluntarily provide, such as filling in an online form?
- A. Metadata
- B. Passive data
- C. Inferred data
- D. Active data ✓
Why: Active data is information a person deliberately gives, such as a name, email address, or survey response. Passive data is collected automatically, such as browsing history, while metadata describes other data.
Q3. Which of the following is an example of passive data capture in the digital age?
- A. Completing a registration form
- B. Writing a product review
- C. Tracking cookies recording which pages you visit ✓
- D. Answering a survey question
Why: Tracking cookies collect browsing behaviour automatically without the user actively submitting information. The other options all involve the user knowingly providing data.
Q4. What does the term 'data broker' refer to?
- A. A person who encrypts data for secure storage
- B. A company that collects personal information and sells or licenses it to other parties ✓
- C. A government official who regulates data protection
- D. A software tool that backs up files automatically
Why: Data brokers gather personal information from many sources, compile profiles, and sell or license this data to advertisers, employers, or other organisations.
Q5. Which of the following best describes the purpose of a privacy policy on a website?
- A. To guarantee that no data will ever be breached
- B. To explain what personal data is collected and how it will be used and shared ✓
- C. To increase the website's search engine ranking
- D. To prevent users from accessing the site from other countries
Why: A privacy policy informs users about what personal data is collected, why it is collected, and how it is stored, used, and shared. It does not guarantee security, which is a separate matter.
Module 5
Module 5: Surveillance, Power and Privacy
Surveillance, Power and Privacy
Knowledge check
Q1. In George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, what is the name of the omnipresent symbol of the Party's authority that watches citizens?
- A. The Ministry of Truth
- B. Big Brother ✓
- C. The Thought Police
- D. The Inner Party
Why: Big Brother is the face on the telescreens that watches over citizens of Oceania. The figure represents the total surveillance and authority of the Party, and the phrase 'Big Brother is watching you' has become a shorthand for state surveillance.
Q2. What is the term for Jeremy Bentham's prison design in which a central guard tower can observe all cells without the prisoners knowing whether they are being watched?
- A. The Panopticon ✓
- B. The Synopticon
- C. The Carceral Grid
- D. The Observatory
Why: The Panopticon was an architectural model proposed by Bentham in the late 18th century. Because prisoners could never be sure when they were observed, they were encouraged to regulate their own behaviour, a concept Michel Foucault later analysed in Discipline and Punish.
Q3. Which philosopher argued that the Panopticon is a metaphor for modern disciplinary power, where individuals internalise the gaze of authority?
- A. Thomas Hobbes
- B. John Locke
- C. Michel Foucault ✓
- D. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Why: Michel Foucault, in Discipline and Punish (1975), used the Panopticon to describe how modern societies discipline people through the possibility of being watched, leading individuals to police themselves.
Q4. What does the term 'surveillance capitalism', popularised by Shoshana Zuboff, primarily refer to?
- A. Government monitoring of banks and financial institutions
- B. The commercial extraction and analysis of personal data to predict and shape behaviour
- C. The use of CCTV cameras in shopping centres to deter theft
- D. Laws requiring companies to publish their financial records
Q5. Reality television programmes such as Big Brother are often discussed in relation to surveillance. Which statement best describes the appeal of watching people under constant observation in such shows?
- A. Viewers are legally required to monitor the contestants
- B. The format offers voyeuristic entertainment, letting viewers watch private behaviour while the participants have agreed to be watched ✓
- C. The shows were designed by governments to train citizens to accept surveillance
- D. Contestants are unaware that cameras are recording them at all times
Why: Reality formats like Big Brother blend surveillance with entertainment. Participants consent to being watched in exchange for fame or prizes, while audiences gain voyeuristic pleasure from observing private life. This raises questions about whether consent and entertainment can make surveillance feel acceptable.
Module 6
Module 6: Consent, Visibility and the Attention Economy
Consent, Visibility and the Attention Economy
Knowledge check
Q1. In the context of reality television, what does 'consent' most closely refer to?
- A. Participants signing a contract that waives all privacy rights forever
- B. Participants knowingly agreeing to be recorded and watched as part of the show's format
- C. Viewers agreeing to pay a subscription fee to watch the programme
- D. Producers obtaining a licence from broadcasters before filming begins
Q2. What is meant by 'visibility' in the study of surveillance and entertainment?
- A. The physical brightness of studio lighting used during filming
- B. The degree to which individuals are seen, watched, and made known to others
- C. The number of cameras installed in a public building
- D. The clarity of the broadcast signal received by viewers at home
Q3. The 'attention economy' refers to a system in which:
- A. Governments pay citizens to pay attention to public policy debates
- B. Human attention is treated as a scarce resource that can be captured, traded, and monetised
- C. Students are rewarded financially for completing lectures on time
- D. Television networks compete only on the basis of production budget
Q4. Why might a participant's consent in a reality show be considered limited or problematic?
- A. Because participants are always paid more than they expected
- B. Because participants may not fully anticipate how their recorded behaviour will be edited and publicly judged
- C. Because consent forms are never written in writing
- D. Because cameras are only used in outdoor filming locations
Q5. Which of the following best describes the relationship between surveillance and entertainment in shows like Big Brother?
- A. Surveillance is used only for security purposes and has no entertainment value
- B. Watching ordinary people under constant observation is packaged as entertainment, blurring the line between monitoring and amusement
- C. Entertainment programmes are banned from using any form of camera recording
- D. Viewers are unaware that the programmes they watch are ever recorded
Module 7
Module 7: Surveillance Futures and Resistance
Surveillance Futures and Resistance
Knowledge check
Q1. In George Orwell's novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four,' what is the name of the telescreen-monitored figurehead whose face appears on posters throughout the city?
- A. Emmanuel Goldstein
- B. Big Brother ✓
- C. O'Brien
- D. Napoleon
Why: Big Brother is the omnipresent leader of Oceania whose image on posters reinforces the idea that the Party is always watching, making him the namesake of modern surveillance-themed reality television.
Q2. Which philosopher's concept of the 'panopticon,' a prison design where inmates can be observed without knowing when they are being watched, was later analyzed by Michel Foucault as a model for modern disciplinary power?
- A. John Locke
- B. Thomas Hobbes
- C. Jeremy Bentham ✓
- D. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Why: Jeremy Bentham designed the panopticon in the late 18th century, and Foucault later used it in 'Discipline and Punish' to illustrate how constant potential observation internalizes behavioral control.
Q3. What term describes the act of individuals voluntarily sharing personal information and monitoring one another, as opposed to being watched by a central authority?
- A. Sousveillance ✓
- B. Infiltration
- C. Wiretapping
- D. Decryption
Why: Sousveillance, a term popularized by Steve Mann, refers to watching from below, where ordinary citizens record or monitor those in power, offering a form of counter-surveillance and resistance.
Q4. In reality television, what is the common name for the practice of viewers voting to determine which contestant is eliminated from a show?
- A. Audience participation
- B. Public voting ✓
- C. Jury deliberation
- D. Ratings sampling
Why: Public voting lets audiences shape outcomes, blurring the line between watching and participating and making viewers feel complicit in the surveillance of contestants.
Q5. Which practice involves deliberately obscuring your identity, such as wearing masks or using encryption, as a way to resist surveillance?
- A. Data mining
- B. Biometric scanning
- C. Privacy protection ✓
- D. Profiling
Why: Privacy protection encompasses tools and behaviors such as encryption, anonymization, and limiting data sharing, which are common forms of resistance to pervasive monitoring.