Abstract
While surveillance systems are believed to have contributed to the curtailment of criminal activity – as the idea that “somebody is watching” supposedly suppresses the desire to transgress the law – recent discourse questions the legitimacy and ethicality of surveillance systems as it has started to raise concerns over privacy and civil liberties. However, what seems to be overlooked is the feasibility of such surveillance programs: can surveillance measures prevent terrorist attacks? Using the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s recently implemented social media screening program as a source of investigation, this research paper examined the practicality of social media surveillance as a preemptive measure. As the objective of this social media screening program is to prevent the next terrorist attack before the border by looking through immigrants’ social media, it is assumed that social media is an accurate source of data that can be utilized for the purpose of intelligence gathering. However, borrowing from literature on Borders, Surveillance and Performativity, this paper argued that surveillance inherently modifies behavior of the surveilled, rendering it impossible to accurately assess threats at the border. While this initiative has already been implemented in the immigration process since 2017, the viability of social media screening has never been proven. Thus, this research paper also found that the DHS’ social media screening program did not necessarily increase the likelihood of preventing the next terrorist attack, but merely heightened the sense of security within the United States after the deadly attacks of the 2015 Sand Bernardino shootings.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Surveillance, Social Media, Immigration, Terrorism, Counter-terrorism, Privacy, Performativity, Censorship, Borders
