The End of Secrets: Introduction (01:24)

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Sean Curran, a BBC Parliamentary Correspondent, asks professor of artificial intelligence Nigel Shadbolt, professor of society and internet Helen Margetts, and newspaper columnist Dan Hodges where mass surveillance is dangerous.

The Pitch: Nigel Shadbolt (02:29)

Shadbolt claims to be an advocate for open government, but states openness is not inimical to privacy; secrets are often required for a productive, democratic government. The balance of secrets and openness improves innovation which will produce stronger encryption and anonymity.

The Pitch: Dan Hodges (02:08)

Hodges describes how often he is surveilled as he goes through a typical outing in Great Britain; he claims the central question to the debate is whether people believe in having a benign or malign state. Lastly, Hodges states he thinks “big brother” is evil.

The Pitch: Helen Margetts (03:27)

Margetts claims the issue with current data mining is that the government attains masses of information but does not utilize it for social and commercial improvements. Often society emphasizes commercial gains that could be attained through sharing information.

Do We Need Secrecy? (12:20)

Modern technology allows more access to information than ever, but secrets are still desired and necessary personally and especially for political autonomy, according to Shadbolt. Certain countries, such as Norway, desire for their personal tax returns to be published, but Margetts states the differences is the transparency of the utility of the collected information.

Is Surveillance Threatening Democracy Itself? (11:27)

Shadbolt asserts, in the past, security and intelligence agencies always required a warrant in order to attain the information they claim they needed; Hodges expresses concern legislation surrounding technological innovation is being rushed into parliament without debate.

Is Complete Transparency Desirable? (03:49)

Hodges claims he wishes to avoid living in a completely surveilled, transparent society; Shadbolt compares current public surveillance to the novel “We” written by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Hodges, Shadbolt, and Margetts conclude the debate by agreeing a certain level of privacy will always be required in society.

Credits: The End of Secrets (00:20)

Credits: The End of Secrets