Walter Peissl

Surveillance and Security: A Dodgy Relationship1

Modern societies are vulnerable. We have known this long before the attacks of 11 September 2001, but they made it clear to everyone. The second lesson learned from the attacks was that it is impossible to foresee such events. Although these attacks to the real world were “low-tech”, now there are attempts around the globe to control especially the electronic or virtual world. However, does more surveillance really lead to more security? If so, what will be the price we have to pay? National states try to provide their citizens with a high level of security, but the effort for better security often gets mixed up with the claim for more surveillance. This is one reason why, over the past few months, governmental activities seemed to jeopardise the internationally acknowledged fundamental right of privacy. Societal security versus personal freedom is an old and well-known area of conflict. In the light of the incidents of 11 September 2001 some old ideas for surveillance and for measures restricting privacy got on the agenda again – and new ones keep emerging. This article will give an overview of what happened on a governmental level after 11 September 2001 in the EU, in some EU-member states and in the USA. Apart from political actions, we already face even direct socio-economic implications as some anonymiser services were shut down. They empowered Internet users to protect their right of privacy, and they were the first targets of investigation and suspicion. Shutting down these services reduces the potential room for users to protect their privacy by using Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs). This is an indicator for a serious societal problem: democracy has already changed. In the second part I will analyse the relationship between surveillance and security and I will argue that, and give reasons why, these international over-reactions will not lead to the intended effects. Rather, they will have long-term implications for the respective societies. So in the end this has to be acknowledged in a necessary appreciation of values.

Surveillance and Security - A Dodgy Relationship

Modern societies are vulnerable. We have known this long before the attacks of September 11, but they made it clear to everyone. The second lesson learned was that it is impossible to foresee such events. Although these attacks to the real world were low-tech, now there are attempts around the globe to control especially the electronic or virtual world. However, does more surveillance really lead to more security? If so, what will be the price we have to pay? This paper gives an overview over what happened on a governmental level after September 11 in the EU, in some EU-member states and in the USA. Apart from political actions, we already face even direct socio-economic implications as some anonymizer services were shut down. They empowered Internet users to protect their right of privacy, and they were the first targets of investigation and suspicion. Shutting down these services reduces the potential room of users to protect their privacy by using privacy enhancing technologies (PETs). This is an indicator for a serious societal problem: democracy already has changed. In a second part this paper analyses the relationship between surveillance and security. It is argued that, the international over-reactions will not lead to the intended effects. Rather, they will have long-term implications for the respective societies.

An assessment of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (pacs) : The case study of the SMZO Project

In order to make rational decisions for further implementation of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) in Viennese community hospitals, an assessment of the Sozialmedizinisches Zentrum Ost (SMZO) project was launched by the Viennese community hospital financing body. The aim of the technology assessment was to look at the experiences of day-to-day practice, organizational aspects of, and obstacles to developing the full potential of the PACS installation. The study analyzes the conditions for employment of digital radiology, gathers the experiences of national and international projects, and presents a view on critical points, from which options for further implementation can be derived. In the center of interest stood work organization, handling and user attitudes, perceptions of radiologists and clinicians, realism of expectations regarding economic efficiency, technical aspects, and influence of quality of medical care.

Information Privacy in Europe from a TA Perspective

This chapter presents the results from a joint project of European Parliamentary Technology Assessment institutions on information and communication technologies (ICT) and privacy. It reflects the outcome of 28 projects from 7 countries. These TA projects were analysed under a common framework. The analysis rendered a set of challenges for European policy and finally several policy options on how to deal with these challenges.

Privacy and Security – a Way to Manage the Dilemma

Privacy and security are often seen as opposites in a zero-sum game. The more you want from one, the less you get from the other. To overcome this dilemma the PRISE project (EU-funded by PASR/DG Enterprise) developed a methodology to establish sets of criteria for privacy enhancing security technologies. These sets of criteria are applicable on different levels (research, development, implementation) and by different actors (research coordinators, industry, policy-makers, public and private users). The use of these criteria is intended to contribute directly to a tangible and demonstrable improvement in security as accepted and acceptable security technologies will be more easily implemented, more widely used and confronted with less rejection by the general public and users of these technologies. A similar set of criteria is used for certification for the European Privacy Seal. Both the privacy by design approach and the certification scheme should increase the competitiveness of European security industries by providing guidance on the provision of widely acceptable security technologies.

Surveillance, Privacy and Security: Citizens’ Perspectives

This volume examines the relationship between privacy, surveillance and security, and the alleged privacy–security trade-off, focusing on the citizen’s perspective. Recent revelations of mass surveillance programmes clearly demonstrate the ever-increasing capabilities of surveillance technologies. The lack of serious reactions to these activities shows that the political will to implement them appears to be an unbroken trend. The resulting move into a surveillance society is, however, contested for many reasons. Are the resulting infringements of privacy and other human rights compatible with democratic societies? Is security necessarily depending on surveillance? Are there alternative ways to frame security? Is it possible to gain in security by giving up civil liberties, or is it even necessary to do so, and do citizens adopt this trade-off? This volume contributes to a better and deeper understanding of the relation between privacy, surveillance and security, comprising in-depth investigations and studies of the common narrative that more security can only come at the expense of sacrifice of privacy. The book combines theoretical research with a wide range of empirical studies focusing on the citizen’s perspective. It presents empirical research exploring factors and criteria relevant for the assessment of surveillance technologies. The book also deals with the governance of surveillance technologies. New approaches and instruments for the regulation of security technologies and measures are presented, and recommendations for security policies in line with ethics and fundamental rights are discussed. This book will be of much interest to students of surveillance studies, critical security studies, intelligence studies, EU politics and IR in general.

Doing Cross-European Technology Assessment

The authors give a case-based state-of-play account of cross-European TA cooperation in service of national parliaments as well as the European Parliament. Most TA units have formed their role around the specific needs of their national or regional parliaments and other national or regional target groups, making it challenging to shift focus and create new roles for themselves in a European sphere. This article presents recommendations on how cross-European TA can be done in the future with a focus on three aspects of cross-European TA: (1) the added value of cross-European work and lessons from past experiences; (2) the identification of efficient and credible modes of cooperation to conceptualize cross-European TA; (3) the identification of relevant target groups and addressees and the bringing about of impact on the European level.

Acht aktuelle Themen mit hoher parlamentarischer Relevanz und großer Reichweite im Parlament (Ergänzender Bericht zum Projekt F&TA)

Hrsg.: Institut fur Technikfolgen-Abschatzung (ITA) der Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (OAW) & AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Innovation Systems Department Projektleitung der Studie: Michael Nentwich (ITA) und Petra Schaper-Rinkel (AIT) AutorInnen: Peter Biegelbauer (AIT), Josef Frohlich (AIT), Michael Nentwich (ITA), Walter Peissl (ITA), Petra Schaper-Rinkel (AIT), Ulrike Bechtold (ITA), Klaus Kubecko (AIT), Michael Ornetzeder (ITA) Koordination des Projekts F&TA: Michael Nentwich (ITA) und Josef Frohlich (AIT)

Integration of technical universities into the learning networks of sustainable cities

Technical universities are influenced by social values related to the need for technological development and education. In return they influence society through the generation of knowledge, educating engineers, and interaction with the local community and international organizations, as well as through consumption of natural resources and generation of waste and emissions. They influence cities in their neighbourhoods, even if they are sometimes not strongly socially integrated into them. This presentation will discuss the requirements for the integration of technical universities into cities from the perspective of sustainable development. The contribution will include a discussion of the role of technical universities for future technological development depending on the needs and requirements of society. The contribution includes three main functions of universities, namely teaching, research and management.

Detraction of Privacy in the Information Society (Beeintrachtigung der Privatsphare in der Informationsgesellschaft)

Digitizing, Minimizing and Networking are the prerequisites for the evolving Information-Society, whose most attracting features are gathering, storing, linking and providing of enormous amounts of data. Best-known advantages are easy communication via e-Mail, easy access to information via Internet, comfortable services in e-Commerce and e-Government. On the other hand there are substantial dangers for privacy coming along with these developments. This paper shows basic technological developments, different actors and their use of personal data and deals with short and long-term effects of detraction of privacy. Special emphasis is given to the analysis of existing trade-offs between efficiency and security on the one hand and privacy on the other. Based on existing privacy regulations some recommendations for further policy actions are given.