Essential safeguard, or infringement of personal liberty?
Wednesday 12 March 2008
Is big brother really looking after us, or is the ‘spy in the sky’ continually monitoring us and slowly leaking information into the universe for anyone to use? Can the ‘safe pair of hands’ easily turn into the ‘wrong pair of hands' and expose us to cyber crime, or will it safeguard us against terrorism? Are we being protected or spied upon? Are we just a number in today’s digital world, and can that number easily be stolen and misused?
These are the questions which will be raised when the Surrey Network of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) holds its annual Guest Night Debate at the School of Management Lecture Theatre, University of Surrey on Wednesday 14 May, 7.00 p.m.
In the chair will be Professor Nigel Gilbert of the University of Surrey, who holds a number of senior posts, and is Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, which is inquiring into surveillance issues. Professor Gilbert was also, until recently, chairman of a working group at the Royal Academy of Engineering examining the technological challenges of privacy and surveillance.
IET Surrey chairman, Malcolm Dudson, said: "We are very honoured to have Professor Gilbert for this guest evening. This subject is becoming the theme of many thrillers, but this is real life. The ability to store and handle huge quantities of data is already with us, and electronic surveillance is widespread and sophisticated. These very facts, however, open the doors to serious misuse and crime in addition to the risks of the loss of this information"
Other panel members for the evening will be Jonathan Bamford, Assistant Commissioner at the Information Commissioner’s Office, David Birch, Consult Hyperion and columnist for the Guardian’s ‘Second Sight’, Tom Ilube, from Garlik, an online security firm and Martyn Thomas, Professor of Software Engineering at the Oxford University Computer Laboratory and found of Thomas Associates, consultants in software engineering.
The lecture is free but prior booking is required. For tickets please contact the University of Surrey Education Liaison Centre on 01483 689376.
Media Enquiries
Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk