ABSTRACT
Of central importance to a book entitled ‘Digital Democracy’ are the complex relationships between new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and democratic structures and procedures. Often discussions about democracy in the Information Age focus on the potential offered by internet-based applications for improved democratic practices, and in particular, improved citizen ‘input’ into the democratic process. Unlike these discussions and many of the chapters in this book, this chapter is not concerned directly with the impact of internet-related ICTs on democratic processes. Rather, it offers an analysis of the policy processes surrounding the widespread diffusion of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance cameras in public places across the UK. Thus, whilst the other chapters are mainly concerned with improvements in democratic ‘inputs’ resulting from the diffusion of new technology, the focus of this chapter is a new technological ‘output’ of the current political, policy and democratic processes. At the centre of this chapter is an ICT-intensive policy ‘tool’ used to meet policy objectives and service requirements, rather than a technological tool designed directly to improve democratic procedures. CCTV is a tool used primarily to detect and deter crime and reduce the Fear of Crime (FOC); nevertheless, as a policy tool provided by the democratic agencies of the state, CCTV highlights the interrelationships between new technology and policy processes. These processes include the role and importance of political rhetoric and public discourse and are of central importance to contemporary democratic practice. The term ‘digital’ or ‘electronic’ democracy in this chapter is relevant in its broadest sense and goes beyond the narrow concerns of direct citizen
participation to incorporate the wider importance of political discourse, policy making and service delivery in democratic processes.
