Discussing Bernard Keenan’s book ‘Interception: State Surveillance from Postal Systems to Global Networks‘ (MIT, 2025). We discuss the history of techniques of state surveillance from the 17th century to the present. Surveillance is tied to the medium of communication; and through this we consider the reflexivity of the power and authority as they shift in response to new technologies.
Bernard Keenan is Lecturer in Law at University College London. His research is concerned with the regulation of digital technology and private platforms, with a particular focus on human rights implications. He has researched the development of the legal system following the Snowden revelations of mass government surveillance. He is currently researching the emergence of algorithmic modes of governance of the public sphere under the rubric of online safety.
