The spread of new surveillance technologies is an issue of major concern for democratic societies. More ubiquitous and sophisticated monitoring techniques raise profound questions for the very possibility of individual autonomy and democratic government. Innovations in surveillance systems require equally innovative approaches for analyzing their social and political implications, and the field of critical communication studies is uniquely equipped to provide fresh insights. This book brings together the work of a number of critical communication scholars who take innovative approaches to examining the surveillance dimensions of new media technologies. The essays included in this volume focus on interactive networks, computer generated imagery, biometrics, and intelligent transport systems as sites where communication and surveillance have become virtually inseparable social processes.

This book was originally published as a special issue of The Communication Review.

Shoshana Magnet is based at the Institute of Women's Studes at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Kelly Gates is based at the Department of Communication, University of California, San Diego, USA.