2nd Edition

The Ethics of Surveillance An Introduction

By Kevin Macnish Copyright 2026
252 Pages
by Routledge

252 Pages
by Routledge

252 Pages
by Routledge

The Ethics of Surveillance: An Introduction  offers a clear and comprehensive exploration of one of the most pressing ethical issues of our time. From government monitoring to everyday data collection, it tackles the moral dilemmas at the heart of surveillance in contemporary society. Among the questions it addresses are: Is it ever acceptable to spy on one's allies? Should the... Read more

Acknowledgements

Preface to Second Edition

Introduction

Part 1: Introducing the Ethics of Surveillance

1. History of Thought on Surveillance and the Ethics of Surveillance

2. The Wrongs of Surveillance

3. Key Ethical Issues in Surveillance

4. Emerging Technologies of Surveillance

Part 2: Applied Contexts

5. International Espionage

6. National Security

7. Police

8. Social Welfare

9. Commercial Uses

10. Journalism

11. Workplace Surveillance

12. Surveillance in Public Places

13. The Vulnerable

14. Surveillance in Research.

Conclusion

Index

Biography

Kevin Macnish is a visiting research fellow at the University of Leeds and a former analyst with GCHQ and the US Department of Defense. He is a sought-after speaker and commentator, having addressed both Houses of the UK Parliament. He is co-editor of The Ethics of Surveillance in Times of Emergency (2023, with Adam Henschke), and Big Data and Democracy (2020, with Jai Galliott).

Praise for the first edition:

'Ours is a world where surveillance is too often justified on a good guy vs bad guy, simplistic, paradigm. Macnish demonstrates the complexities in the ethics of surveillance in a thoughtful and comprehensive book that warrants careful reading by developers, users and subjects of surveillance alike.' 

Eric Stoddart, University of St. Andrews, UK

'This book provides a compelling introduction to the wide range of ethical issues raised by the ever-present surveillance technologies that are characteristic of our world. In this lucid and philosophically sophisticated text, Kevin Macnish considers the implications of not only government espionage, but also the surveillance undertaken in the pursuit of national security, commercial competition and excellence in education and, further, demonstrates the numerous ways in which the practice of surveillance raises fundamental questions for social and political philosophers.' 

Adrian Walsh, University of New England, Australia