Authored alongside researchers at the University of Strathclyde, Scottish PEN has explored the impact of surveillance on the willingness of Scotland-based writers to cover sensitive topics in their work, research and communications with others.

For a downloadable copy of the report click here

Is the perception of digital surveillance a driver to self-censorship?

Working with the University of Strathclyde, Scottish PEN has authored a report exploring whether the perception of surveillance encourages writers to self-censor themselves and avoid sensitive topics in their work, research and communications with others. Based on a 2013 study by PEN America, Scottish Chilling is a survey of 118 Scotland-based writers, including novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, publishers and translators, to investigate whether the Ed Snowden revelations and the passage of the Investigatory Powers Act has made writers less willing to explore certain issues.

Findings

Surveillance & Free Expression

• 82% said that if they knew the government had collected data about their Internet activity they would feel their personal privacy had been violated.
• 74% say they are very concerned and 20% say they are somewhat concerned about the UK government’s new law (the Investigatory Powers Act) to collect and analyse data and metadata (e.g. time and location) on e-mails, browsing and other online activity of Britons (94% total);
• 82% say they are very concerned and 15% say they are somewhat concerned about technology companies being compelled to work with the government to provide vast amounts of personal information on Britons (97% total);
• 79% say they are very concerned and 18% say they are somewhat concerned about the UK government secretly accessing journalists’ call records (97% total);
• 52% say they are very concerned and 36% say they are somewhat concerned about corporations gathering data to track and analyse consumer behaviour and preferences (88% total).

Surveillance & Self-Censorship

• The majority of respondents said that the collection of metadata (39%), collection of content data (62%), hacking platforms, networks or devices (60%), and installing backdoors into encrypted platforms (59%) would make them use the internet differently.
• 45% reported that undermining end-to-end encryption would make them use the internet differently.
• 20% said they would consider using the internet and other online tools less frequently and stop using them altogether.

Self-Censorship

Writers reported self-censoring and actively changing or considering changing their behaviour because they think the government may be monitoring their communications. Respondents reported that they had considered doing or already had done the following:

• Curtailed or avoided activities on social media – 28% have done this and 13% have seriously considered it (41% total)
• Avoided writing or speaking on a particular topic – 22% have done this and 17% have seriously considered it (39% total)

What respondents told us

Further to the survey findings we
organised follow up interviews with a number of respondents to add depth and
detail to the survey. While removed from the context of the report, these
highlight key issues and concerns related to surveillance and potential
self-censorship.

”In terms of government, my argument would be that governments need to take much more seriously the concerns that individuals and groups have about the potential of intruding.” 

“I think I would avoid direct research on issues to do with Islamic fundamentalism. I might work on aspects of the theory, but not on interviewing people and that, whereas in the past, I have interviewed people who would be called in inverted commas subversives”

Respondent Three

“I think one thing that people don’t ever seem to give any consideration to – governments certainly don’t, they always say, ‘Oh, well, if you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve got nothing to fear, blah-blah-blah’: they don’t consider that the ideologies of governments can change, and what might be perfectly acceptable in one era, or even a decade or so ago, might become unacceptable in a future era or future ten years, even, and people might be…for want of a better word, spied on, for views that were perfectly OK before and are no longer OK.”

Respondent Four

“I think probably what worries me, and probably people my kind of age, would be…does our ignorance of what’s technologically possible and what’s unethically being done, legally or illegally but either of it unethically, make us vulnerable, because we just don’t really understand.”

Respondent Five

If you have any questions about the study and Scottish PEN’s work on free expression, digital rights and surveillance please contact us on info[at]scottishpen.org