[cm2187]

I think it's more generally "what you can't see doesn't exist".

If there is a dodgy-looking guy staring at you when you go home, you get frightened. If he watching you through the CCTV then it's all fine. A bit like if you have a video of a guy getting killed on youtube it's horrible, but if it's a one liner in a newspaper about a drone bombing a house then it's ok. If there is a video of a guy killing someone with a knife in the street of London, it will be remembered for years as a horrendous terrorist attack. But if the police publishes statistics about knife attacks in your neighborhood then it's just a bunch of boring numbers.

[mindslight]

When I discuss the issue of mass surveillance with older people, it's in the context of phone conversations. A lot of times they bring up the idea of a "click" on the line. If only.