Surveillance Through Articles

Surveillance is an interesting and dynamic technique that many people explore. The ways people use, combat, and understand the idea of surveillance are just as dynamic as the subject. Through reading the two articles The Art of Peeping, and 

How Laura Poitras Helped Edward Snowden Spill His Secrets, it has become apparent to me that surveillance is not only more wildly used but also creates a very strong reaction. 

The Art of Peeping is a subtler approach to the idea of surveillance in my opinion. Watching people through their windows, which they leave themselves subjected to, is a way to really understand them and see who they really are. Believing that they are completely with themselves and alone is when true character comes out. In an artistic way, Arne Svenson uses this vulnerability to capture moments that can not be encountered in many other ways. As subjected to privacy as these people believe they are, Svenson was merely looking through the glass they installed and subjected themselves to. I don’t think the people he photographed had any right to sue him, not only because they left themselves open to the public, but also because it was his form of art. 

How Laura Poitras Helped Edward Snowden Spill His Secrets is a completely different view on surveillance. The people in this article are subjected to government surveillance and are combatting it with careful proximateness and silent travels. Trying to expose aspects of our government created many hardships for these almost “Spies” and gave them and many who side with them, a bad interpretation of surveillance. As a journalist, Poitras believed she had every right to her actions and the government doubted her, oppressed her, and surveilled her against her will. I am outraged by the actions of not only military officials for reporting her for no reason, but for the government to take such extremes for no reason. They were basically asking her to rebel and expose them.