The contemporary role of surveillance in information societies as perceived by the transparent population

Abstract

This study contributes to the field of criminology by investigating a crime preventive strategy, which is video surveillance and how it is viewed by the public. This is an important area of research as such technology is associated with many contentions. Those in favour of surveillance approve its necessity in terms of security and crime prevention. However, others are reluctant to share the former view as they depict it as ubiquitous and pervasive on civil liberties. To investigate people’s perception regarding the use of video surveillance in society, a quantitative approach was used. As a data gathering tool, an online questionnaire was distributed to a particular cohort of people as the chosen target population for this research. The data sample reflecting public perception was acquired from current students at the University of Malta. This was the main defining criteria for research participants. Furthermore, other demographic characteristics such as, Gender and Age, were included in the study to be cross examined with keyword functions inputted throughout the questionnaire. Participant perceptions regarding video surveillance were quite dynamic as they did not contain a fixed view of approval or rejection. Keeping in mind the contentions mentioned in the literature, participant views contained bilateral inclinations that favoured the use of video surveillance as a crime preventive measure, meanwhile showing concern and insecurity with regards to breach of privacy.