State Surveillance
The Issue
Documents released by Edward Snowden have revealed a degree of state surveillance that exceeds almost everyone’s worst fears. What is unknown are the full effects pervasive surveillance is having on individual action and decision-making and the viability of our democratic institutions.
Why It Matters
Intellectual privacy is essential for free expression. It is the privacy that shields us from surveillance as we generate and explore ideas, discuss them with confidants, and prepare to express our thoughts and engage in action in our everyday lives and in the public domain.
Our Work
The Centre for Free Expression explores the extent, nature and effects of surveillance. Our focus is to create greater public awareness and understanding of these issues and to promote discussion of laws, policies and practices that ensure democratic and human rights are not compromised
Resources
Facial Recognition: A pathway or threat to our future
Panelists: Brenda McPhail, Tamir Israel, Jacob Schroeder
Moderator: Bernie Lucht
CFE Virtual Forum Series: Pandemics and Civil Liberties
The coronavirus poses a threat to our individual and collective future. As governments attempt to deal with the pandemic, they face apparent trade-offs between collective wellbeing and individual human rights and civil liberties.
Can your face be your undoing: The perils of facial recognition
What does consent look like, in an era of facial recognition? What rules need to be in place to keep us safe? Can it ever be used 'responsibly'?
Police Surveillance and Civil Liberties
The growing number of police technologies may serve legitimate police purposes but raise serious questions about civil liberties and privacy.
You’re being watched: How we can expose the watchers and protect our rights
Edward Snowden’s documents are a gold mine of information about how we are being watched. Light will look at privacy, the role of telecommunications providers, key surveillance programs and introduce the Snowden Archive-in-a-Box