Surveillance, from the French for “watching over,” refers to the monitoring of people by some higher authority — the police, for instance. Now there’s sousveillance, or “watching from below.” It refers to the reverse tactic: the monitoring of authorities (Tony Blair, for instance) by informal networks of regular people, equipped with little more than cellphone cameras, video blogs and the desire to remain vigilant against the excesses of the powers that be.
A British newspaper tried to harness the power of sousveillance to better cover the recent political campaign in Britain. Concerned that the Labor Party was insulating Blair from media coverage, The Guardian’s Web site asked its readers for help in keeping track of him. “Limited access means we need your help to keep up with Mr. Blair,” the paper announced. “So today we announce the Blair Watch Project, where we ask you to send us your photos of the P.M. on the campaign trail.”
By JASCHA HOFFMAN
New York Times
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/tonyblair
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