Jeremy Bentham proposed to build a Pantopticon, a prison that allows a watchman to observe occupants without the occupants knowing whether or not they are being watched. The basic setup of Bentham’s panopticon is this: there is a central tower surrounded by cells. In the central tower is the watchman. In the cells are prisoners – or workers, or children, depending on the use of the building. The tower shines bright light so that the watchman is able to see everyone in the cells. The people in the cells, however, aren’t able to see the watchman, and therefore have to assume that they are always under observation.
Do you see parallels between Bentham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance, such as through CCTV or social media? Please elaborate upon reading the article, titled “What does the panopticon mean in the age of digital surveillance?”
Please leave at least three comments. One is your original contribution. And two comments are you replies to your classmates. Deadline: 09/26/21, 11:59 pm.
34 thoughts on “Discussion Forum 4: Bentham’s Panopticon”
I see some parallels between Bentham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance. They both have the same purpose which is to watch the occupants without them knowing you are. The idea of Bentham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance is that they are both seen by the occupants, but the occupants cannot see through them. On the other hand, the watchmen are able to see through them. These 2 have similarities, but there are also many differences/cons to both. For example, Bentham’s Panopticon is allowing the watchman to observe everything through the naked eye, while the modern data surveillance cameras such as CCTV are seen through a screen. Another con to the modern data surveillance is that there can be network issues or glitches which will make it defective. With the modern data surveillance, citizens know that they are being watched, but with Bentham’s Panopticon, they don’t know because it appears as a central tower or wall. If the citizens don’t see the Panopticon, then they have to assume that they are always under observation. This will make them behave. If they see a camera, then they will assume that it is a fake or it’s just there to make them think they’re being watched when in reality there might not be anyone on the other side of that camera.
Hi Amy, it’s crazy how these surveillance systems messes with people’s heads, just by seeing the cameras it makes them behave.
Hi Amy, I loved your explanation. To be watched and not knowing you are being watched is so not fair. But I guess being in prison, you don’t have a say In almost anything.
Hello Amy,
I agree with you that technological surveillance is vulnerable and can be sabotaged, have an algorithm written by biased people, or just break down. On the other hand, tech surveillance is much further reaching and more comprehensive as well as just the sheer size of that information.
I see similarities in both Bentham’s Panopticon and modern surveillance such as that they both have the same main idea. They want to see the prisoner in jail without letting them know that they are being watched. In the article, the Panopticon was created with the idea of creating a prison within the center of a tower where the guards are able to see the prisoner but the prisoner isn’t able to see them so that the prisoner thinks that all the time they are being watched. In modern surveillance, they have the same idea with the only difference that there are cameras watching the prisoners 24/7 and not guards.
Hi Francisco. I agree that the serve the same purpose but in different forms. Both are used to observe the prisoners. Also, both of them make sure that the prisoner can’t see through it which is very important. This shows that the prisoners have to be cautious at all times of their actions.
Hi Francisco, very interesting to see how technology is replacing guards when it comes to watching prisoners, instead of having 20 guards watching the cells, now there’s probably only one or two guards watching the monitors.
Hi Francisco, I agree with your statement. Technology is a big part of todays world which is crazy. I do see why it’s kind of good that’s surveillance so the guards can keep an eye out for the prisoners.
Nowadays everyone have some technology of watching the prisoner even better than using an old school way like watching them over a computer screen.
There is a clear similarity between Bentham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance like CCTV, both systems main purpose is to watch prisoners, when prisoners realize that they are being watched they tend to avoid causing troubles because they know they are being watched. In both systems the prisoners can’t see who is watching them, in Bentham’s system the guards are behind the tower that watches them and in modern surveillance the guards are behind a desk watching the monitors. The parallels between these two surveillance systems is clear, they both have the same purpose. I would like to point out that I don’t believe social media delivers the same level of surveillance, social media has even a bigger way of watching people, not prisoners, social media has so much information about us without realizing it, every time we use a social media app we are leaving content behind to the app developers, they are watching us and tracking every page we visit. I think social media is the next level of surveillance.
Hi Julio. I agree that social media has a bigger impact on the fact of watching people or being a camera to the media. A lot more gets exposed on the media because they spread and are shared on different platforms and are seen by many, many viewers/people.
Hello Julio, I agree and I would like to add on that in a sense that the prisoner knows that they are being watched somehow gives them the knowledge that they should not be doing something they shouldn’t. Also, social media has more ways to watch people and a bigger network but the same as Bentham’s Panopticon, they are aware they are being watched.
I agree with you today we are monitored 24 hours by our networks every time we surf the internet we leave all our information there and visible on social media like instagram or facebook.
There are some parallels between Bentham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance. As stated in the article the panopticon allows a watchman to observe occupants without the occupants knowing whether or not that they are being watched. Anyhow, for modern data surveillance is also watching prisoners but through CCTV and social media. So, they are both similar in way because both watch prisoners. However, in Bentham’s Panopticon the setup was that there is a central tower surrounded by cells and in the central tower is where the watchman would be. But for modern data surveillance would be through technology and media so that is how they are slightly different in a way. I do personally feel like they’re should be a guard 24/7 watching the guards instead of only using surveillance cameras or a watchman.
Hi Boubacar, I agree with you that Bentham’s Panopticon is similar to modern data surveillance because it is a way to observe and discreetly watch people without letting them know they are being watched. And as the years passed technology has advanced in drastic ways so modern surveillance has improved.
Bentham’s Panopticon does mirror the modern data surveillance of today. By eliminating a camera which can be seen and anticipated the occupants in the tower can receive information without the subjects being sure or aware. Like data, our devices are able to see and track what we do without us being conscious. By creating a situation where the reciever is able to observe without being noticed you get the most natural information and often times more. Individuals are able to participate without having to engage. Imagine if every time your phone or webpage wanted to collect data it asked permission? This would turn people away and look for ways around this system.
While i understand your perspective , i really disdain the way the tracked our usage across the web before . I enjoy being asked . Many of apps i use/ sites ask me before i start any transactions in order for me to make an informed decision . Do you enjoy this new feature ?
I feel like I would panic if every time my phone or webpage would want to collect data would ask for my permission and of course I would say no. But I think something like this actually happens they just have found the right way how to ask, I don’t know if that has ever happened to you but there are those brows that show up every time a new page is open and they ask to collect cookies. That means they are asking for permission to collect data.
I see the parallels between Bentham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance, such as through CCTV or social media. In Bentham’s Panopticon, the prisoners were always in constant surveillance and the guards could see the prisoners but the prisoners could not see the guards watching them. Such as in modern surveillance, citizens are always kept watched by the government. Everything you do and everywhere you go, including social media, you are being monitored. For instance, according to the article “What does the panopticon mean in the age of surveillance?”, “state surveillance on the internet is invisible; there is no looming tower, no dead-eye lens staring at you every time you enter a URL”. I couldn’t agree more with that sentence, this demonstrates how modern surveillance is more unnoticed because you know you are being monitored but you do not know when, where, and how. You can be watched by public cameras in public places or if your location is turned on on your phone or if you just simply google a nice purse and then spontaneously see it on Facebook or Instagram.
Hi Moraima,
I agree with you today everything is recorded since there are cameras everywhere we are even monitored by our phones without us noticing.
I definitely agree when it comes to the way we’re tracked . Now i’m asked if i allow the app/site i am on to track my activity across the internet to further customize my experience . I sometimes appreciate not always having to go the extra mile to search but i do not approve of the personalized algorithm .
Over the years time has caused us to immerse ourselves in a disciplinary society, which controls the behavior of its members by imposing surveillance. Power seeks to act through surveillance, control, and correction of the behavior of citizens. Bentham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance both have the same purpose and that is to be able to impose behaviors on the population as a whole based on the idea that we are being watched, it makes the individual self-manage their behavior. CCTV is the modern idea of Bentham’s Panopticon today cameras make the job easier since it doesn’t have to be monitored by a watchman and above all the information remains recorded.
I feel as though the concept of modern cctv is based off of bentham’s panopticon. Yes , the differences such as not knowing you’re being watched versus knowingly being watched . I know some have the perception that some people behave differently when they noticed they’re being observed on cctv . I have noticed this first person , however i also noticed people continuing on whatever they’re doing never looking around to see anything but what they’re focused on. It’s also quite disturbing that the idea of watching others without them knowing is okay at all. In many cases it’s usually done in some means of perversion , to monitor criminal/suspects and or to hurt an unsuspecting victim(s).I don’t completely disagree that certain grades of prisioners need to batched consistenly however common decency would put me off from ever being open to the idea of the panopticon. We already have problems when cctv doesn’t help and i’d hate to have another invasion of privacy without my knowledge.
You are pointing out some very interesting facts. Yeah, it is very disturbing the idea of being watched and not knowing it but also what I understood from the article is that Bentham’s Panopticon idea is that the occupants know that they are being watched so they don’t do something wrong. The prisoners fro example they don’t actually see that they are being watched but they know that they are being watched.
They both have same similarities such as, watching the prisoners without them knowing they getting watch. Bentham Panopticon idea was more better to watch every single cell easier for the watchman on the tower. Sometimes some guards get distracted or get caught sleeping in the job for the prisoners might do something inside the cell against others or make an escape plan.
yeah it actually true and we won’t have to worry about the invasion of privacy.
I think it is mostly the same idea behind them before there were actual people watching them but now it is mostly cameras which is still the same but without the actual guards
Hello,
There are indeed parallels between the Panopticon and modern data surveillance. One way that they are similar is that we can all be watched. With the Panopticon the guards have the ability to see all of the inmates via a tower, just as data surveillance is able to monitor all of us via CCTV, social media, browsing histories, smartphone location data, etc. They also share the quality of not allowing the watcher to be seen by the watched. Every year the data surveillance gains a more complete picture of you in computer data form, via smart home devices, growth in various social media companies, added CCTV cameras, etc. Jeremy Bentham did not want the panopticon model to be used for oppression but it was, just as the data surveillance leads to oppression. Algorithms in AI that monitor us have, at times, been and are faulty due to the biases of their creators and the information given to the humans is faulty and inaccurate. Then they make decisions based on it and that can go bad, for example: the police arresting and killing the wrong person based on faulty facial recognition software.
Sincerely,
Cuffia
Hello Cuffia I agree modern data surveillance in a way has a power to connect to different other databased which just gains more information about you and I didn’t think of faulty facial recognition software how it can impact it.
Officers get distracted of watching the prisoners in their cell from surveillance. They have to keep watching their every move 24/7.
There are parallels between Bentham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance; both have the idea of a watchman observing occupants without the occupants knowing whether or not they are being watched. The point of Bentham’s panopticon was created within the center of towers for guards to be able to watch over prisoners without them knowing. In modern surveillance is the idea of cameras being used to guard over prisoners. Although they have similarities both have differences for instance in the panopticon the occupants are constantly of the threat of being watched which is the point while surveillance in the internet are invisible where there are no looming towers or no dead eye lens staring at you every time you enter a website. Another difference is that modern surveillance expands toward exposure to our online database where it can spread to different platforms and gain your information.
The parallels I see between Betham’s Panopticon and modern data surveillance is that we, the people, are watched but don’t see who is watching us. For example, when it comes to social media, what we search and view is being monitored. With it being monitored, our content is then altered where what we view or watch randomly comes up in ads. This shows that we are being watched although, we can’t see who’s watching us.
The main idea in Bentham’s Panopticon and Modern Data Surveillance is observing, they both are watching the occupants without them knowing that. But in Bentham’s Panopticon ide for example the guardian is observing the prisoner from the outside, he is observing his behavior and his movements. The guardian doesnt know what the prisoners might like or think. While Modern Data Surveillance is observing from “the inside” because they might not observe the actual movements of the occupants but theta re getting informed regarding personal stuff and triggers the occupant’s interests. Also in Bentham’s Panopticon, the guardian is observing the prison from his naked eye while in Modern Data Surveillance is behind the screen.