Arne Hintz, Lina Dencik and Joe Cable discussed internet surveillance and the project ‘Digital Citizenship and Surveillance Society’ at the Hay Book Festival in Hay on Wye on Friday 22nd May. Drawing from preliminary research findings, they summarised key Snowden leaks and the debates and broader issues that the leaks have raised. They addressed the transformations of online communication, the role of civic rights in a context of security, and national and international responses to the Snowden leaks. Further, they unpacked prominent discourses and justifications for surveillance, such as notion that ‘if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about’. They reviewed the media coverage of surveillance and the Snowden revelations, and discussed the level of public knowledge of, and civil society reactions to the leaks.
The 1-hour talk had to be moved to a larger venue due to high demand for tickets. It was the most recent of several talks which project members held about both surveillance and the DCSS project in particular, including presentations at the universities in Bournemouth, Hull and Cardiff.