Digital Panopticon Dilemmas: A Study on Contact Tracing Apps Carried Out by the Ministry of Health

Panopticon, often referred to alongside Michel Foucault and Jeremy Bentham, is a theory that explains the relationship between power and knowledge. Surveillance has gradually become a digital phenomenon as technology has developed, taking on a post-panopticon feature. Thus, it has become possible to...

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Main Author: Elifnur Terzioğlu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2023-12-01
Series:Journal of Economy Culture and Society
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2976627
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author Elifnur Terzioğlu
author_facet Elifnur Terzioğlu
author_sort Elifnur Terzioğlu
collection DOAJ
description Panopticon, often referred to alongside Michel Foucault and Jeremy Bentham, is a theory that explains the relationship between power and knowledge. Surveillance has gradually become a digital phenomenon as technology has developed, taking on a post-panopticon feature. Thus, it has become possible to monitor the entire flow of information. Although some individuals see this situation as a positive because it saves time and provides digital satisfaction, discussions around it mention that it restricts personal rights and freedoms in most societies. Although individuals voluntarily accept being watched in digital public spaces, they often forget that such surveillance will place them in some extraordinary situations that they might not agree with. During the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the entire world, governments implemented some digital applications in order to track and manage their population. Through these applications, known as contact tracing systems, there was an attempt to control the spread of the illness. These systems used mobile phone applications to record personal data. This study analyzes 49 countries whose Ministries of Health applied contract tracing applications during the Covid-19 pandemic process through the digital panopticon perception, which would be labeled as classified data according to their democracy indexes.
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spelling doaj-art-bc43e24c132449b9baa341c88ed875fe2025-02-04T10:17:23ZengIstanbul University PressJournal of Economy Culture and Society2645-87722023-12-0168465910.26650/JECS2023-12569574Digital Panopticon Dilemmas: A Study on Contact Tracing Apps Carried Out by the Ministry of HealthElifnur Terzioğlu0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3467-1537Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Department of Radio, Television and Cinema, Faculty of CommunicationPanopticon, often referred to alongside Michel Foucault and Jeremy Bentham, is a theory that explains the relationship between power and knowledge. Surveillance has gradually become a digital phenomenon as technology has developed, taking on a post-panopticon feature. Thus, it has become possible to monitor the entire flow of information. Although some individuals see this situation as a positive because it saves time and provides digital satisfaction, discussions around it mention that it restricts personal rights and freedoms in most societies. Although individuals voluntarily accept being watched in digital public spaces, they often forget that such surveillance will place them in some extraordinary situations that they might not agree with. During the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the entire world, governments implemented some digital applications in order to track and manage their population. Through these applications, known as contact tracing systems, there was an attempt to control the spread of the illness. These systems used mobile phone applications to record personal data. This study analyzes 49 countries whose Ministries of Health applied contract tracing applications during the Covid-19 pandemic process through the digital panopticon perception, which would be labeled as classified data according to their democracy indexes.https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2976627digital panopticonsurveillance culturescontact-tracing appscovid-19
spellingShingle Elifnur Terzioğlu
Digital Panopticon Dilemmas: A Study on Contact Tracing Apps Carried Out by the Ministry of Health
Journal of Economy Culture and Society
digital panopticon
surveillance cultures
contact-tracing apps
covid-19
title Digital Panopticon Dilemmas: A Study on Contact Tracing Apps Carried Out by the Ministry of Health
title_full Digital Panopticon Dilemmas: A Study on Contact Tracing Apps Carried Out by the Ministry of Health
title_fullStr Digital Panopticon Dilemmas: A Study on Contact Tracing Apps Carried Out by the Ministry of Health
title_full_unstemmed Digital Panopticon Dilemmas: A Study on Contact Tracing Apps Carried Out by the Ministry of Health
title_short Digital Panopticon Dilemmas: A Study on Contact Tracing Apps Carried Out by the Ministry of Health
title_sort digital panopticon dilemmas a study on contact tracing apps carried out by the ministry of health
topic digital panopticon
surveillance cultures
contact-tracing apps
covid-19
url https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2976627
work_keys_str_mv AT elifnurterzioglu digitalpanopticondilemmasastudyoncontacttracingappscarriedoutbytheministryofhealth