ABSTRACT
The information-gathering powers of the state and private organizations are extending ever deeper into the social fabric. The ethos of social control has expanded from focused and direct coercion used after the fact and against a particular target to anticipatory actions entailing deception, manipulation, planning, and a diffuse panoptic vision. The legal basis of some of the new surveillance’s crime-prevention actions is also questionable. The surveillance component of social control is changing radically. The rationalization of crime control, which began in the 19th century, has crossed a critical threshold as a result of broad changes in technology and social organization. “Mini-Awacs” and satellites that can spot a car or a person from 30,000 feet up have been used for surveillance of drug traffickers. Another surveillance use of the telephone involves the expansion of hot lines for anonymous reporting. The Hong Kong government is testing an electronic system for monitoring where, when, and how fast a car is driven.
