Comments on: the Panopticon gets that little bit closer http://blogs.educationau.edu.au/jleeson/2008/07/08/the-panopticon-gets-that-little-bit-closer/ a blog by Jerry Leeson Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:12:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: jleeson http://blogs.educationau.edu.au/jleeson/2008/07/08/the-panopticon-gets-that-little-bit-closer/#comment-72396 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:37:03 +0000 http://blogs.educationau.edu.au/jleeson/2008/07/08/the-panopticon-gets-that-little-bit-closer/#comment-72396 Hi Peter, Thanks for your comments. I am trying to stay neutral on whether these types of location based services are a good or a bad thing in this context - I think that is up to the user/consumer. I use some location based services and think they are fantastic but that is just my personal view. What I am interested in exploring is the attitudes towards such services and how they may affect our behaviour. Going back to Bentham's design of the Panopticon (which was originally a design for a prison), the idea was that if you thought you were being watched, that would affect the way you behaved and would result in a 'better behaving population'. We live in a different world now though where forms of monitoring are becoming ubiquitous - hence the idea of the Internet Panopticon as suggested in the Wikipedia article I guess. What I am wondering is whether, in a society that can be monitored so closely, whether that 'panopticon' effect still applies and if so, to what extent. Your right about the opting in and opting out for using the service and obviously there is a cost for using it so it's probably something you're unlikely to forget about. On another dimension though an interesting question to consider is whether there ever will, at some point in the future in some jurisdictions be a market or service for tracking people without their informed consent. This would raise a number of interesting issues worth debating. Cheers. Hi Peter,
Thanks for your comments. I am trying to stay neutral on whether these types of location based services are a good or a bad thing in this context - I think that is up to the user/consumer. I use some location based services and think they are fantastic but that is just my personal view. What I am interested in exploring is the attitudes towards such services and how they may affect our behaviour. Going back to Bentham’s design of the Panopticon (which was originally a design for a prison), the idea was that if you thought you were being watched, that would affect the way you behaved and would result in a ‘better behaving population’. We live in a different world now though where forms of monitoring are becoming ubiquitous - hence the idea of the Internet Panopticon as suggested in the Wikipedia article I guess. What I am wondering is whether, in a society that can be monitored so closely, whether that ‘panopticon’ effect still applies and if so, to what extent.

Your right about the opting in and opting out for using the service and obviously there is a cost for using it so it’s probably something you’re unlikely to forget about.

On another dimension though an interesting question to consider is whether there ever will, at some point in the future in some jurisdictions be a market or service for tracking people without their informed consent. This would raise a number of interesting issues worth debating.

Cheers.

]]> by: Peter Taylor http://blogs.educationau.edu.au/jleeson/2008/07/08/the-panopticon-gets-that-little-bit-closer/#comment-72371 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:08:49 +0000 http://blogs.educationau.edu.au/jleeson/2008/07/08/the-panopticon-gets-that-little-bit-closer/#comment-72371 Hi. I work at Telstra and thought it important to point out that the location service is purely voluntary. Customers need to agree to be tracked and can easily switch the service off at any time. There's also an extra safeguard of fortnightly reminders sent as a text message to customers advising them they are connected to the service. Peter. Hi. I work at Telstra and thought it important to point out that the location service is purely voluntary. Customers need to agree to be tracked and can easily switch the service off at any time. There’s also an extra safeguard of fortnightly reminders sent as a text message to customers advising them they are connected to the service. Peter.

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