Of Privacy and Power: The Transatlantic Struggle over Freedom and Security

The article discusses how disputes over privacy and security have shaped the relationship between the European Union and the United States and what this means for the future. It highlights the real dispute between two transnational coalitions favoring security and liberty and how their struggles have reshaped the politics of surveillance, e-commerce, and privacy rights. The article offers a fresh view of the role of information and power in a world of economic interdependence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 02 March 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

We live in a world that is increasingly interconnected, where security issues such as terrorism transcend national boundaries and globalized data networks and e-commerce platforms are reshaping the global economy. As a result, jurisdictional boundaries and rule systems clash, leading to conflicts between states. How have these countries navigated their differences regarding freedom and security?

Of Privacy and Power delves into how the European Union and the United States, the two dominant regulatory systems in world politics, have regulated privacy and security, and how their agreements and disputes have shaped the transatlantic relationship. The conventional portrayal of the transatlantic struggle over freedom and security as a clash between a peace-loving European Union and a belligerent United States overlooks the true nature of the dispute. Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman argue that the real conflict was between two transnational coalitions, one advocating for security and the other for liberty, which have exerted significant influence on the politics of surveillance, e-commerce, and privacy rights. By examining three significant security debates that occurred since 9/11, including the Passenger Name Record data, the SWIFT financial messaging controversy, and Edward Snowden's revelations, the authors shed light on how the power of border-spanning coalitions has waxed and waned.

Globalization has opened up new avenues for action, which security agencies, interior ministries, privacy NGOs, bureaucrats, and other actors exploit as circumstances require. Of Privacy and Power offers a novel perspective on the role of information and power in a world characterized by economic interdependence, providing a fresh understanding of how the politics of surveillance has been transformed.

Weight: 394g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691216904