Surveillance Studies Hub (SSH)

The research contributes with knowledge about the interplay between political, technological, organisational, legal and social dimensions in the digital surveillance society, and how this knowledge can be translated into design, use and policy making. Swedish law enforcement authorities, where the police is a central actor, use several different surveillance technologies such as stationary cameras, body cameras, vehicle-borne cameras (eg drones), biometrics (eg facial recognition, DNA, digital fingerprints) and secret data reading. We investigate how these practices are organised, governed and regulated, and what the intensified surveillance means for the democratic society and for rights such as privacy.

The rapid technological development, not least through AI, creates new opportunities for law enforcement authorities, while at the same time it brings with it risks for democratic values ​​and rights, not least for privacy. Currently, there is a strong political pressure in combination with high expectations that new technology will contribute to increased efficiency and security in society, at the same time a new regulatory landscape is emerging with new laws and policies with the aim of minimizing risks. Law enforcement agencies have an interest in developing their working methods and utilizing the capabilities of new technology, and at the same time they need to consider the framework for legitimate use in a changing regulatory framework. The research within the hub is interdisciplinary and includes the disciplines of informatics, law, organization, sociology, media science and criminology.