Photography in the Age of Surveillance: Ethics and the Photographer’s Responsibility

Öz

This paper examines the ethical dimensions of photographic practices in the context of pervasive surveillance, and the ways in which photography both reinforces and challenges the pervasive surveillance culture that defines modern society. It addresses key issues of privacy, ethics and the limits of photographic practice, particularly in relation to the potential for exploitation and voyeurism. With technological advances accelerating the scope of surveillance - exemplified by the ubiquitous presence of CCTV cameras and data tracking algorithms - surveillance has become deeply embedded in everyday life, leading to what is increasingly referred to as a 'surveillance culture'. In this environment, individuals are both subjects and objects of surveillance. Photography, both as a documenting tool and an art form, plays a central role in this dynamic. The widespread use of digital technologies has made photographers complicit in the spread of surveillance, as images are often distributed without consent, repurposed for unintended purposes, or even exploited for commercial gain. This paper explores how certain photographers, including Hasan Elahi and Trevor Paglen, have responded to the dominance of surveillance culture by using their work to critique and resist its normalisation. Through an analysis of their practices, this study demonstrates how photography can function as a means of interrogating and destabilising the power structures inherent in surveillance systems. The paper concludes by reflecting on the moral responsibilities of contemporary photographers, emphasising the need for heightened awareness of privacy concerns in an era where anonymity is increasingly scarce and valuable. Ultimately, it highlights the ethical challenges photographers face in navigating the tension between creative freedom and the imperatives of privacy and consent in a surveillance-driven world.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• photography
• surveillance culture
• ethics
• voyeurism
• privacy

Gözetim Çağında Fotoğrafçılık: Etik ve Fotoğrafçının Sorumluluğu

Öz

This paper examines the ethical dimensions of photographic practices in the context of pervasive surveillance, and the ways in which photography both reinforces and challenges the pervasive surveillance culture that defines modern society. It addresses key issues of privacy, ethics and the limits of photographic practice, particularly in relation to the potential for exploitation and voyeurism. With technological advances accelerating the scope of surveillance - exemplified by the ubiquitous presence of CCTV cameras and data tracking algorithms - surveillance has become deeply embedded in everyday life, leading to what is increasingly referred to as a 'surveillance culture'. In this environment, individuals are both subjects and objects of surveillance. Photography, both as a documenting tool and an art form, plays a central role in this dynamic. The widespread use of digital technologies has made photographers complicit in the spread of surveillance, as images are often distributed without consent, repurposed for unintended purposes, or even exploited for commercial gain. This paper explores how certain photographers, including Hasan Elahi and Trevor Paglen, have responded to the dominance of surveillance culture by using their work to critique and resist its normalisation. Through an analysis of their practices, this study demonstrates how photography can function as a means of interrogating and destabilising the power structures inherent in surveillance systems. The paper concludes by reflecting on the moral responsibilities of contemporary photographers, emphasising the need for heightened awareness of privacy concerns in an era where anonymity is increasingly scarce and valuable. Ultimately, it highlights the ethical challenges photographers face in navigating the tension between creative freedom and the imperatives of privacy and consent in a surveillance-driven world.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• photography
• surveillance culture
• ethics
• voyeurism
• privacy

Kaynakça

1. Adams, T. (2019, January 20). Art in the age of mass surveillance. The Guardian. Retrieved November 1, 2024 from https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/nov/25/trevor-paglen-art-in-age-of-mass-surveillance-drones-spy-satellites.
2. Bertrand, A.-C. (2016). The changing gaze: From documentary photography, through voyeurism to surveillance. L. Wolthers (Ed.), Watched!: Surveillance, art and photography (pp. 258-265). Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König.
3. Christensen, M. (2016). Cultures of surveillance: Privacy and compliant exchange. Nordicom Review, 37(s1), 177-182. https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2016-0032
4. Elahi, H. (2011). Tracking transience [Photograph]. Retrieved January 2, 2025 from http://trackingtransience.com.
5. ---------------- (2011, October 29). You want to track me? Here you go, FBI. The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2024 from https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/giving-the-fbi-what-it-wants.html.
6. Evans, W. (1938-1941). Subway portrait [Photograph]. Retrieved January 2, 2025 from:https://www.nga.gov/features/slideshows/the-streets-of-new-york-american-photographs-from-the-collectio.html#slide_2.
7. Foucault, M. (1979). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. (A. Sheridan, Trans.). Vintage Books.
8. Frecot, J. (2004). Points of view: Masterpieces of photography and their stories. Steidl.

9. Galič, M., Timan, T., & Koops, B.-J. (2016). Bentham, Deleuze and beyond: An overview of surveillance theories from the panopticon to participation. Philosophy & Technology, 30(1), 9-37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-016-0219-1
10. Hugo, P. (2014). The journey. Stevenson.
11. ----------- (2014). The journey [Photograph]. January 2, 2025 from https://pieterhugo.com/THE-JOURNEY.
12. Kaplan, S. (2023). To be a face in the crowd: Surveillance, facial recognition, and a right to obscurity. L. Samuelsson, C. Cocq, S. Gelfgren, & J. Enbom (Eds.), Everyday life in the culture of surveillance (pp. 45–66). Nordicom, University of Gothenburg.
13. Kerr, I. R., & Barrigar, J. (2012). Privacy, identity and anonymity. K. Ball, K. D. Haggerty, & D. Lyon (Eds.), Routledge handbook of surveillance studies (pp. 386-394). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3396076
14. Lyon, D. (2017). Surveillance culture: Engagement, exposure, and ethics in digital modernity. International Journal of Communication, 11, 824-842.
15. Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner. (no date). Data protection and street photography. Retrieved 1 November, 2024 from https://idpc.org.mt/idpc-publications/data-protection-and-street-photography/
16. Paglen, T. (2014). National Security Agency, Ft. Meade, Maryland; National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Virginia; National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Springfield, Virginia [Photograph]. Retrieved January 2, 2025 from https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/national-security-agency-ft-meade-maryland-national-reconnaissance-office-chantilly.
17. -----------(2016). Invisible images. Document Journal.
18. Rule, J. B. (2012). Needs for surveillance and the movement to protect privacy. K. Ball, K. D. Haggerty, & D. Lyon (Eds.), Routledge handbook of surveillance studies (pp. 9-16). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203814949-11
19. Salomon, E. (1920s-1930s). Five gentlemen conversing around table [Photograph]. Retrieved January 2, 2025 from https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/265319.
20. Solove, D. J. (2008). Understanding privacy. Harvard University Press.
21. Thomson, J. J. (1975). The right to privacy. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 4(4), 295-314. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265075
22. Wolthers, L. (2016). Watched!: Surveillance, art and photography. Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König.