The Struggle Over AI Surveillance: From Digitalization to Dystopia?

·  To ensure that this norm-setting occurs democratically and reflects the concerns of affected groups, citizens must have more opportunities to be involved in the deliberation process.

·  Finally, democratic governments need to form coalitions of like-minded states to advance shared digital values.

Through this combination of strategies, democracies can prepare themselves to promulgate standards globally that will embed AI in human rights and rule of law safeguards, keep abuses in check, and counter authoritarian ambitions to set the rules of the game, Feldstein concludes.

Two case studies provide more granular depictions of how civil society can influence this norm-shaping process, the report adds.

Eduardo Ferreyra of Argentina’s Asociación por los Derechos Civiles discusses strategies for overcoming common obstacles to research and debate on surveillance systems:

·  Create coalitions with other CSOs: In the face of stonewalling by public officials and company representatives, organizations working on surveillance technology should be in touch with each other to obtain information, share contacts, and distribute research tasks.

·  Work closely with like-minded journalists: Independent media can be a great asset in shedding light on surveillance deals, increasing public awareness, and fostering debate by questioning simplistic narratives around surveillance tech….

·  Engage international actors: Due to public image worries, governments may pay more attention to rights issues when they are raised by international advocacy groups or through global or regional human rights bodies. …

·  Highlight concrete concerns around surveillance systems: Companies and politicians push surveillance as the answer to crime—regardless of whether the evidence supports this view…

When Serbia’s interior minister and police director announced plans to install 1,000 high-tech cameras from People’s Republic of China (PRC) tech giant Huawei, their statement crystalized worries that had been growing among members of our team since we first heard about vague proposals to “upgrade” traffic cameras in the city, adds Danilo Krivokapić of Serbia’s SHARE Foundation. Over the following two years, SHARE Foundation reframed the discussion around this project in an effort that mobilized tech enthusiasts, local residents, media outlets, and the broader European digital rights community. In mid-2021,

We discovered that the Interior Ministry had opened a little noticed “public” debate on a proposed new police law, which was just about to close. The proposal would have introduced legal grounds for mass biometric surveillance. Upon learning of this effort, we were able to obtain reactions from members of the EU Parliament as well as global and regional human rights organizations. Local media coverage was extensive. In two days, the disputed proposal was pulled back.

While the digital transformation of public security is an unavoidable part of the future, Krivokapić writes, it is up to citizens, human rights defenders, and the power of civic engagement to make sure that digitalization does not lead to dystopia.

The article was originally posted to the National Endowment for Democracy’s Democracy Digest.