Seminar 1 Position Statement from Dr Martina Feilzer, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Bangor University

I see new technologies, wearable gadgets among the most recent, are blurring the boundaries between private and public space, as well as private and public data. We upload information onto social media platforms from our fitness trackers; we post pictures online including information as to where we were, at what time, and with whom. Does this mean we are prepared for this data to be hoovered up and used by authorities, private businesses, or researchers? Health insurance firms in Germany recently (Nov 2014) proposed plans to reward customers who voluntarily upload data from fitness trackers. How would consenting customers feel if the data were passed on to their GPs or other interested parties, or if they would be penalised, eventually, for bad lifestyle choices? The blurring of boundaries between private and public space and data makes it more difficult for the individual to control information about themselves. Data and knowledge about self has been commodified, making way for new forms of self-regulation, as well as regulation by others. These developments raise questions about current conceptions of veillance and transparency.

Also of interest to me are questions of privacy and image rights as exemplified in this recent paper by Tatiana Synodinou, Image Right and Copyright Law in Europe: Divergences and Convergences