| Abstract: | ABSTRACT. Biopolitical use of geosurveillance can create and sustain a politics of fear. Although the majority of surveillance literature focuses on individuals, in this article I focus on groups and populations, drawing on Michel Foucault's analysis of biopolitics. After discussing the forms and history of geosurveillance I argue that three particularly important factors contribute to these politics: divisions, geospatial technologies, and the risk‐based society. In order to combat the negative unintended consequences of these factors I suggest that more attention be paid to the mutual relationships between geospatial technology and politics, rather than on assessments of the value of individual surveillant technologies. (09–11–06) 12:01 PDT SAN FRANCISCO—A United Airlines flight that was diverted to Dallas this morning after an unclaimed electronic device was discovered onboard has landed at San Francisco International Airport, an airport spokesman said. The flight crew on United flight 351 from Atlanta to San Francisco elected to stop in Dallas around 7 a.m., said SFO spokesman Mike McCarron, after finding a backpack on board that no one claimed. The unattended backpack contained a PDA device, McCarron said, “like a Blackberry.” Authorities searched the plane in Dallas and found nothing unusual, he said.—Marisa Lagos, 2006. |
