ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the controversial Janus-face of surveillance in the form of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and blockchain-based product identifiers within the Swiss luxury watch industry. Conceptually, the research is informed by the managerial typology: “surveillance as transparency.” Findings from a qualitative netnography and an explorative expert study (Chapter 2) indicate salient industry challenges and ongoing transformations as (1) new consumer generations with changing transparency expectations are rising; (2) higher sustainability standards (social, environmental, and ethical) are demanded; (3) personalization beyond the physical product, with verifiable insights in the product history, becomes central; and (4) digitalization and innovation may trigger digital product certification and warranties via DLT. Building on these findings, the contribution highlights the Janus-faced concept of networked surveillance as a concept for digital transparency that goes beyond the surveillance concept’s dichotomies by a processual and transitory entanglement. Networked surveillance can inform an ethical luxury industry, with benefits of learning and control in three key areas: (1) black markets and counterfeits, (2) standardized CSR reporting, and (3) personalization beyond physical products toward virtual luxury identities.
