The Panoptic Sort: A Political Economy Of Personal InformationThe consensus is clear. Personal privacy will become the dominant issue of the 1990s. Yet a focus on privacy, as we have come to understand it so far, all but guarantees that we ignore the implications of the privacy debate at the more fundamental levels of individual autonomy, collective agency, and bureaucratic control. The Panoptic Sort helps us to understand just what is at stake when the bureaucracies of government and commerce gather, share, and make use of an almost unlimited amount of personal information to manage the social and economic systems within their spheres. Unlike Foucault's panoptic prison, which involved continual, all-encompassing surveillance, the current panoptic system depends upon the ability of operators to classify and then separate disciplinary subjects into groups in a way that increases the efficiency with which the techniques of correct training or rehabilitation may be applied to each individual. This book describes in full detail the design and use of the panoptic operation, with examples from marketing, employment, insurance, credit management, and the provision of governmental social services. |
Contents
Information and Power | 15 |
Operating the Panoptic Sort | 53 |
Corporate Perspectives on the Panoptic Sort | 95 |
Copyright | |
8 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
The ^APanoptic Sort: A Political Economy of Personal Information Oscar H. Gandy Jr. Limited preview - 2021 |
The Panoptic Sort: A Political Economy of Personal Information Oscar H. Gandy Jr.,Oscar H. Gandy No preview available - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
American Express Amex analysis asked assessment associated behavior Bloustein bureaucratic Caller-ID calling party census claim class consciousness cohorts communication companies concern consumers corporate critical database defined direct marketing economic efficiency Ellul emerged employees Equifax extent factor files firms Foucault gather George Gerbner Giddens Giddens's groups Ibid identified included increase indicated individuals industry influence interaction involved issue Jacques Ellul Jürgen Habermas limited lists Max Weber measure ment Michel Foucault option organizations panoptic sort participants percent personal information political potential predict Press profiles protection questions rationalization records reflect regard relationship represents response risk share social society statistical structure suggests survey target technique telecommunications telemarketing telephone number television tion transaction U.S. Congress U.S. Supreme Court understanding variables Weber York