Contribution to the handbook
Supporting · Assessed 2026-10-27
It provides useful clarification of a proposed form of citizen scrutiny and a relevant limitation: collecting records may not explain algorithmic decisions. The narrow question and evidence do not specify a governance mechanism or show that the approach works.
Does this challenge the goal?
In-scope gap
It clarifies a citizen-monitoring concept relevant to participation and accountability, without contesting the exploration’s goal.
Defining the term does not establish that citizen monitoring improves accountability or understanding.
Why this category?
- Useful clarification of a proposed approach to citizen scrutiny
- Relevant limitation: collecting records does not necessarily explain decisions
The evidence reports proposals and arguments rather than demonstrated effects. It does not settle how citizen monitoring could be used safely or how it would change institutional decisions.
This is an AI assessment of contribution to the goal, separate from whether the question has an answer.
Authority, accountability and resilience →
Read the exploration goalNew evidence is being assessed. Any answer below is provisional; parts whose evidence changed or was withdrawn are withheld.
Define who does the watching in sousveillance and how that differs from surveillance by authorities.
What we can say so far
Sousveillance means watching from below: ordinary people do the watching, rather than authorities watching from a position of authority. Advocates present it as a form of radical transparency.
What remains open
No material gap is recorded within this part’s current scope.
Conditions and limits
- This is the author’s account of the term and how its advocates present it.
- The cited text is from a readable author manuscript on an accessible mirror, not the publisher’s typeset version.
Evidence and related ideas
Supporting evidence, qualifications and context play different roles in this answer.
supports
Sousveillance means watching from below Sousveillance means watching from the position of ordinary people, rather than watching from a position of authority. Advocates present it as a form of radical transparency.
Directly defines sousveillance as watching from the position of ordinary people rather than authority.
The Threat of Algocracy: Reality, Resistance and Accommodation
Read full source: The Threat of Algocracy: Reality, Resistance and Accommodation (opens in a new tab) ↗Read source discussion: The Threat of Algocracy: Reality, Resistance and Accommodation →
supports
Citizen recording could support accountability Sousveillance advocates propose using widely available recording tools to monitor economic and political authorities. They argue that this could help ordinary people hold those authorities to account; the passage notes that wearable recording devices might become more widely available.
Adds the proposal that ordinary people use recording tools to monitor authorities.
The Threat of Algocracy: Reality, Resistance and Accommodation
Read full source: The Threat of Algocracy: Reality, Resistance and Accommodation (opens in a new tab) ↗