The Googlization of Surveillance

Who is watching? Why should we worry? These questions, among others, are asked by SIVA VAIDHYANATHAN, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia, in his recently published tome The Googlization of Everything — and Why We Should Worry. Using Google Street View as the prime example and case study, Dr. Vaidhyanathan explores the ways and means through which Google engineers and justifies its systems of surveillance around the world. Despite proclaiming cultural sensitivity, Google engages in a “one-size-fits-all” model of privacy — and the defaults are always set to Google’s advantage. In addition to discussing his book, Dr. Vaidhyanathan will introduce the notion of “infrastructural imperialism” to describe how Google goes about managing its relations with users and states around the world.