Abstract
It is especially hard, at present, to read the newspapers without emitting a howl of anguish
and outrage. Philosophy can heal some wounds but, in this case, political action may prove
a better remedy than philosophy. It can therefore feel odd trying to think philosophically
about surveillance at a time like this, rather than joining with like‐minded people to protest
the erosion of our civil liberties, the duplicity of our governments, and the failings in our
political institutions ‐ including our political parties – revealed by the succession of leaks
which have dripped away this the summer. Still, philosophy can help us to think about we
should do, not merely what we should believe. Thus, in what follows I draw on my previous
work on privacy, democracy and security, in order to highlight aspects of recent events
which – or so I hope – may prove useful both for political thought and action.