Explainers

Explainer

Video surveillance

Video surveillance technologies are deployed in public and private areas for monitoring purposes. Closed-circuit television (CCTV)– a connected network of stationary and mobile video cameras– is increasingly used in public areas, private businesses and public institutions such as schools and

Explainer

The Global Surveillance Industry

What is the Global Surveillance Industry? Today, a global industry consisting of hundreds of companies develops and sells surveillance technology to government agencies around the world. Together, these companies sell a wide range of systems used to identify, track, and monitor individuals and their

Video

Video: How Companies Exploit Your Data

Video

Video: What is Data Exploitation?

A video explainer on how companies and governments are extracting and exploiting our data.

Video

Video: What Is Communications Surveillance?

Once rare, now governments have expansive capabilities to monitor communications.

Video

Video: What Is Data Protection?

An explanatory video on a key legal protection for privacy, and yet poorly understood.

Video

Video: What Is Big Data?

We explain in simple terms what was all the excitement around 'big data'.

Explainer

Big Data

Explainer

Communications Surveillance

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How Bulk Interception Works

Explainer

What Is Privacy?

Explainer

Social Media Intelligence

What is SOCMINT? Social media intelligence (SOCMINT) refers to the techniques and technologies that allow companies or governments to monitor social media networking sites (SNSs), such as Facebook or Twitter. SOCMINT includes monitoring of content, such as messages or images posted, and other data

Explainer

101: Data Protection

Explainer

101: Integrated Policing

What is integrated policing? Integrated policing is the collection and centralisation of data used for policing purposes. In the era of ‘big data’, companies – often the same companies offering infrastructures for smart cities – are offering interfaces that allow police easier access to datasets

News & Analysis

Winning the debate on encryption — a 101 guide for politicians

Dear Politicians, With elections coming up and quite a few cringe-worthy comments that have come from many of you and from all sides of the political spectrum, we figured it was time to have a chat about encryption. First, let’s say what you shouldn’t do: call for boycotts of companies because they

Long Read

Cambridge Analytica Explained: Data and Elections

Disclaimer: This piece was written in April 2017. Since publishing, further information has come out about Cambridge Analytica and the company's involvement in elections. Recently, the data mining firm Cambridge Analytica has been the centre of tons of debate around the use of profiling and micro