Surveillance, Privacy and Everyday Digital Life: Public Perceptions of Security, Autonomy and Social Control

Abstract

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, big data, and interconnected digital technologies has transformed surveillance into a defining feature of everyday digital life. While these technologies enhance public security, service efficiency, and personalized experiences, they also raise significant concerns regarding privacy, individual autonomy, and social control. This review synthesizes recent literature to examine how public perceptions of digital surveillance have evolved in response to technological innovation and changing regulatory environments. The review integrates major theoretical perspectives, including panopticism, surveillance capitalism, contextual integrity, and privacy calculus, to explain the complex relationship between surveillance practices and public attitudes. It further examines the evolution of surveillance technologies, factors shaping public acceptance, the interaction between surveillance, security, and autonomy, and the growing role of digital platforms in governing social behaviour. The findings indicate that public acceptance of surveillance depends on perceived benefits, institutional trust, transparency, digital literacy, and the presence of effective legal safeguards rather than technological capability alone. The review also identifies important research gaps, particularly the limited availability of longitudinal, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary evidence on emerging AI-driven surveillance systems. It concludes that achieving an appropriate balance between technological innovation and the protection of privacy and individual rights requires privacy-by-design principles, transparent governance, ethical artificial intelligence, and adaptive regulatory frameworks that promote accountability while maintaining public trust.