Społeczeństwo nadzorowane — zarys problemu

The purpose of this article is to specify the complex social phenomenon, defined as surveillance society. Its strong manifestation within society should be considered a threat to the civil liberty; in a broad sense it is a threat to participatory democracy and civil society. These are the reasons that convinced the author to attempt a reconstruction of the causes of this phenomenon and analysis of its conditions. In a certain sense, reflections presented in this article are of a warning character. In modern Europe the issue of surveillance society can be considered a recent problem. However, it is not only Europe, but the whole globalized world that is facing major challenges which are brought with technology that allows for taking away people’s privacy, freedom, property and right to defence against “floating surveillance.” Resolving this issue is a challenge of the future, but nonetheless, to save individuals from the omnipotence of authority — political, legal and institutional solutions should be searched for now.