Keeping a close watch…

Keeping a close watch – the rise of self-surveillance and the threat of digital exposure.

In this article, Kingsley Dennis discusses the Rodney King beating and the rise of sousveillance. In 1991, Rodney King was severely beaten by LAPD officers after he disobeyed their orders to lie down. The LAPD officers did not notice that they were being taped by bystander George Holliday. This was an iconic moment of sousveillance.

Authorities and the state were now not the only one’s who could keep a close watch on citizens and other state’s. As technology advanced, citizens now had the ability to use video cameras an cell phone cameras to keep watch on authorities.

Citizen journalism is now a big part of mainstream news coverage. When reporters cannot reach the news fast enough, they rely on coverage from amateur reporters and citizens. Sure, the video might be a bit blurry, but it still tells some of the story as it happens.

Dog Shit Girl

The ability of sousveillance can have both positive and negative affects. In the hands of responsible users, sousveillance can hold authority figures such as politicians, and citizens such as the case of the Dog Shit Girl accountable for their actions. At the same time however, sousveillance can go a little too far.

In the case of the Dog Shit Girl, Internet users found the young woman and held her accountable for her actions. But Internet users went too far by spreading her personal information beyond just humiliating her for her actions. Dog Shit Girl’s privacy was violated.

I believe that Dog Shit Girl deserved her punishment – to an extent. Being publicly humiliated was enough of an punishment. Once her privacy was violated and she received comments such as: “Her life deserves to be ruined and she won’t kill herself because she is a thick-skinned bitch” is going too far.

Internet vigilantism

Sousveillance such as this is commonly called Internet vigilantism. This case is just one of the many that anonymous users online enact. The notorious website, 4Chan, has been using Internet vigilantism to its advantage for a very long time.

The most recent example is the defense of Wikileaks and web attacks on PayPal, Visa, and Amazon who have blocked donations from reaching Wikileaks.

Internet vigilantism has its advantage as I discussed above with helping to find those that have committed a crime and hold them accountable. At the same time, disadvantages are when vigilantism goes so far that it forces people into hiding and makes them worry for their own safety.

In the UK, Mary Bale dumped a cat into a wheelie bin and left it there. Her actions were captured on CCTV and the video went viral. 4Chan jumped on Bale’s actions and forced her to apologize.

However, Facebook groups titled “Death to Mary Bale” were created and police discussed Bale’s personal safety.