The Surveillance Map of the World

The surveillance of people and instances of encroachment into private data are constantly on the rise be it through video surveillance of public buildings or entire cities as a measure to prevent crime, or in shops to prevent shoplifting; be it through collecting and sharing personal data on the Internet, or last but not least in the form of scanning and storing a persons biometric data including fingerprints in his or her passport.

The portable and interactive installation Surveillance Map of the World gives not only an example, but a real experience of how much surveillance of our everyday life is actually conducted. Users navigate with their mobile phones on a projected world map consisting of thousands of pictograms taken from birds eye views. The pictograms symbolise satellites, computers and shopping carts, as well as the Patriot Act signed into law by US President Bush after 11 September 2001. The density of the pictograms at different points on the map reflects the level of surveillance that individual countries have reached. Based on data collected by the Privacy International NPO, the installation allows the user to make worldwide comparisons, and thus turns users into surveillants themselves an experience that becomes intensively real when users click on their present location and see themselves in real time.

Tim Gatzky and Raul Mandru on Global surveillance in real time:

What happens with our data and our privacy? Where and when are we surveilled and what is the price of data? Most people arent interested in these topics until they are directly affected. Only a relevant, unusual experience gets their real attention. The users as citizens and consumers are deliberately put centre-stage in this work and are given the opportunity to surveil using the indispensable mobile phone which at the same time leaves a data trail the surveillants themselves. This special experience becomes even more captivating when users can suddenly see themselves in real time. Talking about the design becomes of secondary importance, because what is remembered is a strong message: data surveillance is happening right now in front of our eyes and everyone is part of the global information landscape.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• surveillance
• privacy international
• ranking
• map
• red dot
• red dot award
• raul mandru
• tim gatzky

[sunatila112]

haha raule tu unde esti :)