Marc Schuilenburg has been appointed Professor of Digital Surveillance (0.4 fte) at Erasmus School of Law as of 1 September 2021. The chair, which is part of the Department of Criminology, provides the unique opportunity to strengthen the research on security enforcement further. The chair was established in collaboration with the TNO (Organisation of Applied Scientific Research).
Schuilenburg is an expert in the field of policing and surveillance. He has worked at VU University Amsterdam for over nine years and previously worked at the Public Prosecution Service. Schuilenburg won the Willem Nagel Prize for his thesis Orde in de Veiligheid, and he has written many scientific publications and books on security and (digital) surveillance. Two of his most significant contributions are the recently published book The Algorithmic Society: Technology, Power, and Knowledge (2021) and the article Fear and Fantasy in the Smart City (2020).
The rise and controversy of digital surveillance
An evident change can be detected in the field of the enforcement of safety. In the past, the primary tool of police was physical surveillance. In the current digital age, both governmental organisations and private parties collect, store and connect large amounts of data about people and processes using digital surveillance. This type of surveillance uses (self-learning) algorithms, and with the growing daily use of the internet, social media and smartphones, the amount of digital data is increasing. However, there is no consensus on whether the increased use of digital surveillance actually contributes to a safer society and whether this is ethically and legally acceptable.
Research on enforcement of security in the digital age
As Professor of Digital Surveillance, Schuilenburg will focus his research on identifying how new surveillance technologies are used to fight and prevent crime and nuisance. In addition, he will look into the effectiveness of these technologies and the impact of the increased use of digital surveillance on citizens.
Schuilenburg is delighted with his appointment: “I am really looking forward to researching the opportunities and risks of digital surveillance. How can society benefit from this as much as possible? But, also: how can ethics and the rule of law keep these new techniques manageable?”
The chair seamlessly fits within the mission of Erasmus School of Law to conduct high-quality and multidisciplinary research with an impact on national policymaking and legislation. The research combines theoretical perspectives with empirical research in the fields of criminology, law, philosophy and social sciences. The chair is part of the research programme Monitoring Safety and Security of Erasmus School of Law.
The board of Erasmus School of Law congratulates Marc Schuilenburg with his appointment and wishes him the best of luck with his activities.