The Big 4

BRT has written often about surveillance as my loyal readers know as this is a topic both fascinating and scary, particularly after revelations about just how pervasive it truly is courtesy Edward Snowden.  What's interesting about this has also been the relative lack of analysis regarding how surveillance impacts the economy. something that has been rectified in an excellent piece from Washington's Blog titled 4 Ways that Mass Surveillance Destroys the Economy.

To whit:

1. Creativity - A Prime Drive of Prosperity - Requires Privacy
2. The Free Flow of Information Requires Privacy
3. Mass Surveillance Hurts Productivity
4. Trust and the Rule of Law – Two Main determinants of Prosperity – Are Undermined By Surveillance

While reading this, a BRT post titled Panopticon comes to mind. Chilling to say the least. Seen below is the full realization of The Theory of Surveillance: The PANOPTICON the masterwork of  Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarian philosopher and theorist of British legal reform.