The digitization of the public domain

When we venture outdoors into the 'public domain', we are increasingly surrounded by modern technology. Cameras watch our every move in the interests of safety and security, sensors track our movements by car or by public transport, and automatic doors control access to various buildings and amenities. Armed with our mobile phones and a clutch of pass cards, we can prove who we are, that we are entitled to be where we are, and that we have paid for the privilege of being there. What we cannot see, however, is how all the various pieces of tracking equipment exchange information with each other over the internet.  

A new phase in the information age    

We not only surf the internet using our desktop computers, we are increasingly living within the net itself. The very same network is now used to track, monitor and check that everything is as it should be. Many of the societal issues already raised by the 'information age' are therefore placed in an entirely new light. Is privacy still a practical concept, given that we now enjoy very little privacy at all? Is it a good thing to be 'online 24/7', or might it be nice to escape the clutches of the web from time to time?  

The project   

This project reveals how our everyday lives in the public domain is increasingly being monitored and controlled by information systems. Whether you are walking down the street, driving from A to B, doing the weekly shopping at the supermarket or taking a bus, your movements are being monitored. How do these systems work? Who created them and why? What influence over their use do you have? Who can help you exercise your rights? What safeguards can be incorporated today to ensure that nothing goes seriously wrong in future? These questions and many others are addressed in the book Check in / Check Out (NAi Publishers, May 2010) and are to be the focus of various meetings and demonstration models.  

Further information about the book can be found at http://www.naipublishers.nl/index_e.html  

Actual examples

The project involves a number of actual examples of the technology which demonstrate the various possibilities. One example is the GeoCam: what do members of the public think about all digital information being made available on the map in 'real time'?