Overvågning (Surveillance) by Anders Albrechtslund (
faculty profile), a former Information & Media Studies faculty member at Aalborg University in Denmark, is his Danish-language accessibly-written academic essay on the ethics of surveillance and monitoring and its effects on communities and society, both positive and negative, #39 in the Tænkepauser ("Reflections", beginning to become available in English translation
on their webpage here) series of 60-page shorts designed to provide a 60-minute introduction to assorted cultural/intellectual ideas for laypersons, free courtesy of the Aarhus University Press in Denmark.
This is the current offering in their generous freebie program which gives the latest one away as a freebie, which has now changed to a term of just for one week after publication.
Currently free until May 9th, Danish time @
the Aarhus University Press (DRM-free ePub & PDF available worldwide, scroll down and expand where it says "Om bogen" to download the MP3 "som gratis lydfil")
Beskrivelse på dansk
Glem alt om glidebaner hen imod og frygten for et overvågningssamfund. For det er her allerede. Endda mere omfattende end Big Brother kunne drømme om. Men ifølge Anders Albrechtslund, årvågen overvågningsovervåger ved Aarhus Universitet, kan vi slet ikke undvære overvågning. For takket være overvågning kan vi ikke bare styre og kontrollere os selv, men hele befolkninger. Vores samfund minder nærmest om fængsler, vi ikke kan undslippe. Heldigvis har vi ikke noget imod at dele hvert et skridt og andre intime detaljer med hinanden. Det er kun chefen, der ikke må kigge med.