In an opinion piece in the Guardian today, Maggie Zhou asks an important question: are we normalizing tech surveillance?

In the article, she's predominantly addressing wearable surveillance tech—such as Meta's AI Glasses—but its a question with wider implications. It's something I think about every time I hear of people sharing doorbell cam footage on social media, alerting others to the presence of suspicious individuals or wayward youths up to no good on their street. Doorbells cams have become prolific in most neighbourhoods around me. Many homes are even outfitted with little signs gleefully declaring, smile, you're on camera. Never mind that I'm on the sidewalk and I did not consent to this.

All of this is done in the name of security. But rarely do we pause and ask security for who? Whose security are we prioritizing and whose are we putting at risk? Zhou does indeed raise this by pointing out that wearable surveillance tech puts women and girls at a disproportionate risk for indecent filming. Meanwhile, doorbell cams and other home surveillance often further stigmatize already marginalized people. And sharing images of people online, especially youth, for the purpose of stoking anxiety, fear, or rage can have serious consequences.

These products are marketed as a preventative measure, "stopping crime before it happens." However, maybe the only thing they are preventing is a sense community trust and hospitality.