Sousveillance

Common card · No. 400825

Sousveillance ( soo-VAY-lənss) is the recording of an activity by a member of the public, rather than a person or organisation in authority, typically by way of small wearable or portable personal technologies. OED (Oxford English Dictionary) defines sousveillance as "close observation or recording of authorities like the government or police by the public using personal devices like smartphones, as well as the general recording of everyday activities", citing a 2001 date. The term, coined by Steve Mann, stems from the contrasting French words sur, meaning "above", and sous, meaning "below", i.e. "surveillance" denotes the "eye in the sky" watching from above, whereas "sousveillance" denotes bringing the means of observation down to human level, either physically (by mounting cameras on people rather than on buildings) or hierarchically (with ordinary people observing, rather than by higher authorities or by architectural means). Undersight (inverse oversight) is sousveillance at high-level...

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