Surveillance technologies form an increasingly ubiquitous presence in
many EU member states. CCTV cameras, traffic regulation systems, ID
cards, biometric developments, airport security checks and online forms
of dataveillance are just some of the many ways in which the public are
subject to forms of scrutiny, data collection, data storage and data
sharing. These surveillance systems are often welcomed as a means of
protection and for easing public fears, but also raise profound
questions for democratic states of the nature of the relationship
between state and citizenry. Currently, regulation of surveillance
systems differs across EU member states, including legal prohibitions,
forms of licensing, selfcertification, data protection and information
or data protection commissioners. Forms of accountability have emerged
as one means by which the potential consequences of surveillance systems
might be recognized and assessed and formally incorporated into public
sector policy or into the ways in which companies do business. Managing
Privacy through Accountability draws together contributions from leading
figures in the field of surveillance to engage in discussion of the
emergence of accountability as a central motif in debates around privacy
invasion and privacy protection. It is the first book to engage in this
debate.