ABSTRACT
The crisis of 9/11 in the US, the London and Madrid bombings in Europe and rapid technological advances have dramatically changed existing paradigms of safety and security. New surveillance oriented technologies have been implemented in an unprecedented way, to prevent crime, track down suspects, victims and witnesses and to guard convicts. This chapter analyses the sensitivity of citizens for 'framing' effects with respect to the acceptance of the use of new technologies by public authorities. It aims to answer the questions whether or not acceptance depends on the type of frame used, and whether or not pre-existing attitudes, that are associated with technology acceptance, moderate the relationship between acceptance and framing of the technology. The chapter presents the results of a study on the use of new technologies, which indicate that the way technologies are 'framed' may influence the opinion of individuals with respect to the use of these technologies by public authorities.
