Vancouver Statement
The Vancouver Statement of Surveillance, Security and Privacy Researchers about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
NOTE: New Transparency Project is now hosting the definitive version of the statement on a permanent page, here:
http://www.surveillanceproject.org/Vancouver_Statement
As researchers from Canada and the wider world, who are conducting research on the global security dynamics of mega-events, we agree:
- that the Olympic Games should be a celebration of human achievement, friendship and trust between people and nations.
However, having analysed past and planned Olympics and other mega events, from a variety of historical and international perspectives, we recognise:
- that recent Games have increasingly taken place in and contributed to a climate of fear, heightened security and surveillance; and
- that this has often been to the detriment of democracy, transparency and human rights, with serious implications for international, national and local norms and laws.
Therefore, we ask the City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada:
- to moderate the escalation of security measures for Vancouver 2010 and to strive to respect the true spirit of the event;
- to be as open as possible about the necessary security and surveillance practices and rationales
to withdraw temporary bylaws that restrict Charter rights of freedom of speech and assembly; - to work constructively with the Provincial and Federal Privacy Commissioners;
- to respect the rights of all individuals and groups, whether they be local people or visitors, and pay particular attention to the impacts on vulnerable people;
- to conduct a full, independent public assessment of the security and surveillance measures, once the Games are over, addressing their costs (financial and otherwise), their effectiveness, and lessons to be learned for future mega-events;
- not to assume a permanent legacy of increased video surveillance and hardened security measures in the Vancouver/Whistler area, and to have full and open public discussion on any such proposed legacy.
We hope that these recommendations will contribute to a unique and positive Olympic legacy by which Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada will be remembered for setting the highest ethical standards.
November 23, 2009
For further information, contact:
Richard Smith, e-mail: smith@sfu.ca tel: 778-782-5116; or
Colin Bennett, e-mail: cjb@uvic.ca tel: 250 721-7495
The “signatories” for this statement include, as of 6pm November 25 (see comment on this post for additional signatures from supporters):
David Lyon
Professor
Sociology
Queen’s University
Minas Samatas
Professor
Sociology
University of Crete, Greece
Kevin Haggerty
Associate Professor
Sociology
University of Alberta
Colin Bennett
Professor
Political Science
University of Victoria
Richard Smith
Professor
School of Communication
Simon Fraser University
David Murakami Wood
Associate Professor
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Surveillance Studies
Surveillance Studies Centre
Department of Sociology
Queen’s University, Ontario
Andrew Clement
Professor
Faculty of Information
University of Toronto
Laureen Snider
Professor
Sociology
Queen’s University
Gary T. Marx
Professor Emeritus of Sociology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Dr. Stefanie Baasch
Social researcher
Hamburg, Germany
Anke Hagemann
Architect / Urban Researcher
HafenCity Universitaet Hamburg
Adam Molnar
Doctoral Student
Political Science
University of Victoria
Kate Milberry
Post-doctoral Fellow
Faculty of Information
University of Toronto
Chris Parsons
Doctoral Student
Political Science
University of Victoria
Martin French
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Toronto
Pablo Ouziel
Doctoral Student
Political Science
University of Victoria
Christopher Shaw
University of British Columbia
Clayton A. Wilson
Graduate Student
School of Communication
Simon Fraser University
Rosamunde van Brakel
Doctoral Student
University of Sheffield, UK
John A. Noakes
Associate Professor of Sociology
Director, Criminal Justice Program
Arcadia University
Chiara Fonio
Researcher
Universita’ Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Milano, Italy
Adrienne L. Burk
Senior Lecturer
Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology
Simon Fraser University
Massimo Ragnedda
Researcher
Università degli Studi di Sassari
Sassari, Italy
Alanur Cavlin Bozbeyoglu
Visiting Post Doctoral Researcher
The Surveillance Studies Centre
Dept of Sociology
Queen’s University
November 24th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Our media statement (this is the U Vic one):
RESEARCHERS CALL FOR OLYMPICS SURVEILLANCE ASSESSMENT:
Dear Colleagues,
A group of researchers who participated in the Surveillance Games Research Workshop (http://bit.ly/2B4pvp ) Nov. 20-21 in Vancouver, B.C. have drafted a joint statement on security, surveillance and mega-events for public release. The “Vancouver Statement” has been signed by international experts specializing in the areas of surveillance, privacy and mega-events and is now being circulated to media, government agencies and civil society groups. The Vancouver Statement can be read here: http://blogs.sfu.ca/people/smith/
We are circulating the Vancouver Statement in order to reach other individuals and organizations involved in issues of security, surveillance and privacy who would like to sign their agreement with the statement. If interested, please send your name, position and affiliation to apm@uvic.ca and Adam will add you to the statement. We also have an “iPetitions” petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/VancouverStatement
Thus far, the Vancouver Statement has been well received by members of the BC Legislature and is currently being reviewed by the BC Olympic critic. We hope to have the statement read in the BC Legislature in the final days of the sitting this week. Local media outlets have already begun to report on the statement and we expect that it will reach national and international audiences with your support.
Media contacts:
Colin Bennett (University of Victoria, Political Science) at 250-721-7495 or cjb@uvic.ca
Richard Smith (SFU, School of Communication) at 778-782-5116 or smith@sfu.ca
November 25th, 2009 at 8:53 am
[...] The Vancouver Statement can be read here. [...]
November 25th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Adam Molnar (apm@uvic.ca) is collecting signatures and forwarding them to me. If you’d like to have your name added, let him – or me – know. Also, consider “tweeting” about this!
November 25th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Supporters who have emailed in a “signature” include:
Jason Burke
PhD Student
University of Toronto
Ian Kerr
Canada Research Chair in Ethics, Law & Technology
Faculty of Law : Faculte de droit
Common Law Section : Section Common Law
University of Ottawa : Universite d’ Ottawa
Sandra Robinson
PhD student
Sociology
Queen’s University
Dr David Barnard-Wills
Research Fellow
Department of Informatics and Sensors
Cranfield University
Shrivenham, Swindon, SN6 8LA
Rodrigo José Firmino
Associate Professor
Postgraduate Programme in Urban Management
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil
Richard S. Rosenberg
Professor Emeritus, Department of Computer Science
University of British Columbia
President, BC Freedom of Information and Association
Vancouver, BC
Martin R. Dowding, PhD
Assistant Professor
Communication Studies
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo Ontario
Erik Bordeleau
Post-doctoral Fellow
Art History and Communication Studies
McGill University in
Leslie Regan Shade
Associate Professor
Dept. of Communication Studies, Concordia University
Montreal
Douglas Schuler
The Public Sphere Project
Michael Andrew Lithgow
PhD student, Communications
Carleton University
Joseph Savirimuthu
Director of Laureate On-Line Degrees
Liverpool Law School, University of Liverpool
Victoria Paraschak
Associate Professor
Dept of Kinesiology, University of Windsor
Stuart R. Poyntz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Communication
Simon Fraser University
Carmen Hung
Undergraduate Student
School of Communication
Simon Fraser University
Saghar Tofigh
Undergraduate Student
School of Communication
Simon Fraser University
November 26th, 2009 at 12:07 am
French text of the Vancouver statement:
La déclaration de Vancouver des chercheurs sur la surveillance, la sécurité et la vie privée propos des Jeux olympiques de 2010 à Vancouver
En tant que chercheurs canadiens et internationaux effectuant des recherches sur la dynamique globale de la sécurité lors de grands événements, nous estimons que :
Les Jeux olympiques doivent marquer la célébration des prouesses humaines, de l’amitié et de la confiance entre les individus et les nations.
Cependant, ayant analysé les Jeux olympiques et autres grands événements passés à partir de perspectives historiques et internationales, nous reconnaissons que :
Les Jeux récents ont on contribué à instaurer un climat de peur, de sécurité accrue et de surveillance et que
Cette tendance s’est réalisée au détriment de la démocratie, de la transparence et des droits humains, induisant ainsi de sérieuses implications sur les plans des normes et lois internationales, nationaux et locaux.
En conséquence, nous demandons à la ville de Vancouver, à la province de la Colombie-Britannique et au gouvernement du Canada :
de modérer l’escalade des mesures de sécurité pour les jeux d’hiver de 2010 et de veiller à faire respecter le véritable esprit olympique ;
d’être aussi francs et ouverts que possible à propos du déploiement et de la justification des nécessaires pratiques de sécurité et de surveillance ;
de retirer les règlements temporaires restreignant les droits enchâssés des libertés d’expression et de rassemblement ;
de travailler de façon constructive avec les commissaires provincial et fédéral de protection de la vie privée ;
de respecter les droits des individus et des groupes, que ce soit des gens locaux ou des visiteurs, et de porter une attention particulière aux impacts potentiels sur les gens vulnérables ;
d’effectuer, une fois les Jeux terminés, une enquête publique indépendante et complète sur les mesures de sécurité et de surveillance afin d’en déterminer les coûts (financiers et autres), l’efficacité et les leçons à en tirer pour l’organisation de futurs grands événements ;
de ne pas supposer un legs permanent de surveillance vidéo accrue et de mesures de sécurité plus sévères dans la région de Vancouver/Whistler, et de tenir des débats publics sur toute tentative de créer un tel héritage.
Nous espérons que ces recommandations contribueront à créer un climat olympique unique et positif par lequel Vancouver, la Colombie-Britannique et le Canada seront reconnus pour avoir conçu et appliqué les plus hautes normes éthiques en matière de sécurité et de surveillance.
November 26th, 2009 at 10:26 am
[...] And there’s now more on Richard’s blog! [...]
November 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Ellen Woodsworth, councillor for City of Vancouver, says:
“The City of Vancouver will debate the new City bylaw proposals that may impact the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and may impact civil liberties on Tuesday Dec.1 See the Vancouver website for details Friday http://www.vancouver.ca Council meetings If you wish to speak send an email to Mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca and request to speak.”