Article 12: Film and Panel on Surveillance

“No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.”
– The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, Article 12

We’re big fans of the work of Media Democracy Days, having participated in their panels and blogged about their events in the past. This November, they’re launching their first-ever three-day event, and we’ll definitely be checking it out. In the meantime, they are co-presenting a film screening and panel discussion on surveillance, a subject of special importance in this political and social moment in Vancouver.

Article 12: Waking Up in a Surveillance Society presents a sharp look at the current state of privacy and the debate around the rights and desires of individuals and governments with the increasing accessibility and use of surveillance. Using the twelfth article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to chart the current state of privacy around the world, the film argues that without the right to privacy no other human right can truly be exercised. The film features interviews with Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman, and Vancouver favourite Brian Eno. The film and accompanying panel discussion – featuring Micheal Vonn of the BC Civil Liberties Association and Kate Milberry of Geeks and Global Justice, among others – takes place Thursday, September 15 at W2 Media Café.

With the recent publishing of the Vancouver riot review, concerns over the use of facial recognition software, and the potential for scaling up the use of public video surveillance in the future, now (right before the municipal election) is an apt time to be discussing the impacts and implications of surveillance in our city’s public spaces.

For more details on the film screening and panel discussion, visit the event’s Facebook page.