Prof. William Staples, author of the book "Everyday Surveillance"

ACQ Subscribe

You can be outraged that the NSA collects Internet communications records of U.S. citizens. But don't be surprised, says sociologist William Staples. This is just one example of our "culture of surveillance."

Whenever news of government surveillance emerges (see NSA's Prism: Balancing Security, Privacy), critics immediately invoke the name of George Orwell's "Big Brother."

But what they ought to be more concerned about are all the "tiny brothers" that monitor our electronic movements, says Staples, a University of Kansas professor and author of the book, "Everyday Surveillance," the second edition of which has just been released. Staples' premise: We have created a culture that allows schools, workplaces and communities to monitor our movements, communications and transactions - with and without our consent. And the privacy implications are troubling, Staples says.

"I would argue that our culture of surveillance is founded on fear and suspicion," Staples says. In part, the trend is a necessary response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "But I think it goes all the way down to the level of people's houses, with people being suspicious of their kids and drugs ..."

"It seems like we've been turning to all the means at our disposal to thwart what we perceive as rampant deviance, crime and problematic behavior," Staples says. "And it's not that those things aren't real. It's the extent to which they are. And I see our culture of surveillance as partly an overreaction. Just because we have the means, it seems like we do it."

In an interview, Staples discusses:

The "tiny brothers" that monitor our electronic movements; The potential ramifications of constant surveillance; How individuals and organizations should approach questions about monitoring and data collection.

Professor Staples is the 2013 E. Jackson Baur Professor and founding director of the Surveillance Studies Research Center at the University of Kansas. He has interests in social control, privacy and historical sociology. His recent books include "The Encyclopedia of Privacy" (2006), "Power, Profits, and Patriarchy: The Social Organization of Work at a British Metal Trades Firm, 1791-1922" (2001), and "Everyday Surveillance: Vigilance and Visibility in Postmodern Life," which has just been released in a new edition.