AI and Data Use: Surveillance Technology and Community Disquiet in the Age of COVID-19

Abstract

The proliferation of surveillance technology during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a myriad of responses from the public. This paper seeks to examine community disquiet in the context of these smart technologies. In particular, we look at sources of social responses to the different control measures and the escalated use of surveillance technologies. The concerns voiced by citizens underscore their worries surrounding infringement of their rights, liberties and integrity, which we examine through six broad themes: disquiet about the data collected; disquiet concerning authority styles confirming control responses; disquiet regarding the integral architecture of control strategies employed; disquiet surrounding infringement of rights and liberties; disquiet surrounding the role of private sector; as well as uncertainties regarding a post-pandemic world and its “new normal”. We find that the resulting distrust of both the surveillance technology and the authorities behind these have a pronounced effect on the technology’s utility and accuracy. Ultimately, we argue that public confidence in governments’ control policies and the technologies that they employ can only be rebuilt through a genuine inclusion, engagement, and collaboration with citizens in the conceptualisation, development, implementation and decommissioning phases.