History of Mass surveillance in Timeline

Mass surveillance involves comprehensive monitoring of a large population, typically by governments or corporations. Its legality varies, often distinguishing totalitarian regimes. It differs from targeted surveillance, raising concerns about privacy and civil liberties. The practice involves governments or organizations that monitor the digital activities, communications, movements, and behaviors of people on a large scale. Methods include data collection from various sources like phone records, internet activity, and CCTV footage. Mass surveillance aims to identify potential threats and maintain security. However, it raises debates on privacy violations, potential abuse, and chilling effects on free expression.

1946: Formation of GCHQ

In 1946, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) was formed in the United Kingdom.

1948: UKUSA Agreement Signed

In 1948, the United Kingdom and the United States signed the bilateral UKUSA Agreement, which was later broadened to include Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This became the cornerstone of Western intelligence gathering and the "Special Relationship" between the UK and the US.

1949: Publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four

In 1949, George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, depicting a dystopian surveillance state, was published.

1984: 75th Anniversary

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1956: COINTELPRO projects initiated

In 1956, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated COINTELPRO projects.

1965: Early Stage of Syrian Militarization

In 1965, the number of personnel in the Syrian military and various intelligence entities was at 65,000.

1971: COINTELPRO projects targeted activists until 1971

COINTELPRO projects conducted by the FBI targeted various "subversive" organizations, including peaceful anti-war and racial equality activists such as Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King Jr. until 1971.

1991: Expansion of Syrian Military and Intelligence

By 1991, the number of personnel in the Syrian military and various intelligence entities had expanded drastically from 65,000 in 1965 to 530,000.

1998: Human Rights Act and Data Protection Act

In 1998, the UK implemented the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 1998 to partially protect citizens from unwarranted intrusion.

2000: Global surveillant assemblage

Global surveillant assemblage (Haggerty and Ericson 2000) questions the abuse of networking technologies, devices, and software systems

2000: Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) Introduced

In 2000, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIP or RIPA) was introduced, granting and regulating the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation.

2001: Mail Isolation Control and Tracking program created

In 2001, following the anthrax attacks, the Mail Isolation Control and Tracking program was created by the U.S. Postal Service.

2001: Mass surveillance since 2001

Mass surveillance has been ongoing since 2001.

2002: Plans to Extend RIPA Announced

In 2002, the UK government announced plans to extend the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act so that at least 28 government departments would be given powers to access metadata about citizens' web, e-mail, telephone and fax records, without a warrant and without a subject's knowledge.

2002: Overestimated Number of Cameras in the UK

One report in 2002 extrapolated from a very small sample to estimate the number of cameras in the UK at 4.2 million (of which 500,000 in London).

2003: Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations

In 2003, the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations were introduced in the United Kingdom.

2004: Further Growth of Syrian Military and Intelligence

By 2004, the number of personnel in the Syrian military and various intelligence entities had surpassed 700,000.

2004: Global surveillant assemblage

Global surveillant assemblage (Collier and Ong 2004) questions the abuse of networking technologies, devices, and software systems

2004: NYPD infiltrated protest groups before Republican National Convention

In 2004, the New York City Police Department infiltrated and compiled dossiers on protest groups before the Republican National Convention, leading to over 1,800 arrests.

2006: Global surveillant assemblage

Global surveillant assemblage (Bogard 2006) questions the abuse of networking technologies, devices, and software systems

2006: Telephone companies provided call records to NSA

In early 2006, it was reported that several major telephone companies were providing the telephone call records of U.S. citizens to the National Security Agency (NSA), which stored them in a large database known as the NSA call database.

2007: Mass surveillance since 2007

Mass surveillance has been ongoing since 2007.

2008: Google CEO Eric Schmidt discusses location-based advertising

In 2008 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, said: "The arrival of a truly mobile Web, offering a new generation of location-based advertising, is set to unleash a 'huge revolution'".

2008: FISA Amendments Act authorizes surveillance without warrant

In 2008, the FISA Amendments Act authorized intelligence agencies to monitor communications of U.S. citizens for up to a week without a warrant.

December 2009: New FRA Legislation in Effect

In December 2009, new legislation went into effect in Sweden, allowing the National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA) to monitor cable bound signals passing the Swedish border. Communications service providers are legally required to transfer cable communications crossing Swedish borders to specific "interaction points", where data may be accessed after a court order.

2009: Google I/O 2009 developer conference

At the Google I/O 2009 developer conference, Google showcased upcoming HTML5 features that allow Gmail to work as a stand-alone application, enabling tracking even when a web browser is inactive.

February 2010: Google presented a new business model for mobile operators

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 16, 2010, Google presented their vision of a new business model for mobile operators and trying to convince mobile operators to embrace location-based services and advertising.

2010: Mobile World Congress keynote speech by Google CEO Eric Schmidt

In 2010, Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave a keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress.

2011: Estimate of CCTV Cameras in the UK

According to 2011 Freedom of Information Act requests, the total number of local government operated CCTV cameras was around 52,000 over the entirety of the UK, and the total number of private and local government operated cameras in the United Kingdom at around 1.85 million.

2011: Microsoft patents product distribution system with viewer monitoring

In 2011, Microsoft patented a product distribution system with a camera or capture device that monitors the viewers that consume the product.

July 2012: Freedom House report on Internet surveillance

According to a July 2012 Freedom House report, 91 percent of survey respondents connected to the Internet on their mobile devices believe that the government monitors conversations and tracks the calls of "activists" or "reactionaries".

2012: U.S. Postal Service photographs every piece of mail

In 2012, under the Mail Isolation Control and Tracking program, the U.S. Postal Service photographed the exterior of every piece of paper mail that is processed in the United States – about 160 billion pieces.

2012: Protection of Freedoms Act Provisions

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 includes several provisions related to controlling and restricting the collection, storage, retention, and use of information in government databases.

March 2013: Syria Listed as "State Enemy of the Internet"

In March 2013, Ba'athist Syria was listed as one of the five countries on Reporters Without Borders' list of "State Enemies of the Internet", due to active and intrusive surveillance of news providers, resulting in grave violations of freedom of information and human rights.

March 2013: Reporters Without Borders report on "Corporate Enemies of the Internet"

In March 2013, Reporters Without Borders released a special report on Internet Surveillance, including a list of "Corporate Enemies of the Internet", companies that sell products that are liable to be used by governments to violate human rights and freedom of information. The initial list included Amesys, Blue Coat Systems, Gamma Group, Hacking Team, and Trovicor.

June 2013: Snowden disclosed in depth information about the National Security Agency

Before June 2013, modern surveillance in the United States was thought of more of a wartime effort until Snowden disclosed in depth information about the National Security Agency.

June 2013: PRISM program publicly revealed

On June 6, 2013, the PRISM program was publicly revealed after classified documents about the program were leaked to The Washington Post and The Guardian by Edward Snowden.

2013: Media Reports on GCHQ Programs

After the growth of the Internet and development of the World Wide Web, a series of media reports in 2013 revealed more recent programs and techniques involving GCHQ, such as Tempora.

2013: Existence of Hemisphere Project became known

In 2013, the existence of the Hemisphere Project, through which AT&T provides telephone call data to federal agencies, became publicly known.

July 2014: Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act Passed

In July 2014, supported by all three major political parties, the UK Parliament passed the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act to ensure police and security services retain existing powers to access phone and Internet records.

December 2014: Investigatory Powers Tribunal Ruling

In December 2014, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled that the legislative framework in the United Kingdom does not breach the European Convention on Human Rights.

December 2014: IPT Ruling on Mass Surveillance in the UK

In its December 2014 ruling, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal found that the legislative framework in the United Kingdom does not permit mass surveillance and that while GCHQ collects and analyses data in bulk, it does not practice mass surveillance.

2014: NSA collected Verizon user's telephone records

Between 2013 and 2014, the NSA collected millions of Verizon user's telephone records.

2014: Launch of Project Raven

In 2014 the United Arab Emirates launched a state-surveillance operation – dubbed as Project Raven – led by the United Arab Emirates with the help of former NSA officials. Counter-terrorism strategy was the primary motive of setting up the unit.

2014: Defense Lawyers Challenge Mass Storage Evidence

In 2014, according to the European Agency for Fundamental Rights, many defense lawyers tried to overturn multiple cases that used mass storage as their evidence to convict.

2014: Singapore's Smart Nation Initiative Rolled Out

In 2014, as part of Singapore's Smart Nation initiative, the Singapore government rolled out 1000 sensors ranging from computer chips to surveillance cameras, to track almost everything in Singapore from air quality to public safety. The initiative aims to build a network of sensors to collect and connect data from city life, including the citizen's movement.

February 2015: Tribunal Finds Human Rights Contravention

In February 2015, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal stated that a particular aspect, the data sharing arrangement that allowed UK Intelligence services to request data from the US surveillance programs Prism and Upstream, had been in contravention of human rights law prior to this until two paragraphs of additional information were disclosed to the public in December 2014.

2015: A Question of Trust report by David Anderson QC

In 2015, David Anderson QC, the UK's Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation published the "A Question of Trust" report.

2015: European Court Rules Against Legislation

In 2015, the European Court for Human Rights ruled that certain legislation violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of Zakharov v. Russia.

October 2016: Report on Alleged UAE Mass Surveillance Hiring Attempt

In October 2016, The Intercept released a report detailing the experience of an Italian security researcher, Simone Margaritelli, of allegedly being hired for mass surveillance operations run by the United Arab Emirates.

2016: Investigatory Powers Act Passed

In 2016, the Investigatory Powers Act was passed in the UK, making public previously secret powers and enabling the Government to require internet service providers and mobile phone companies to maintain records of customers' Internet connections for 12 months.

2016: Singapore Police Install Surveillance Cameras

In 2016, the Singapore Police Force installed 62,000 police cameras in 10,000 Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks covering the lifts and multi-storey car parks to increase security.

2017: Privacy International Report on Spain

According to a 2017 report by Privacy International, Spain may be part of a group of 21 European countries that is withholding information, also known as data retention.

2018: Update to Data Protection Act

In 2018, the Data Protection Act was updated in the UK to include the General Data Protection Regulation.

2018: Singapore Government Rolls Out Advanced Surveillance Systems

In 2018, the Singapore government rolled out new and more advanced surveillance systems, including panoramic electro-optic sensors on maritime borders and a tethered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for search and rescue operations.

2018: Vietnam passes cybersecurity law

In 2018, the Vietnam National Assembly passed a cybersecurity law requiring localisation of user data and censorship of anti-state content.

January 2019: Reuters Report on Project Raven

In January 2019, Reuters released a detailed account of a 2014 state-surveillance operation – dubbed as Project Raven – led by the United Arab Emirates with the help of former NSA officials. The project, initially intended for counter-terrorism, was allegedly used to spy on rival leaders, critical dissidents, and journalists.

December 2019: ToTok App Removed from App Stores Amid Surveillance Allegations

In December 2019, the ToTok Emirati messaging application was removed from Google Play Store and Apple App Store following allegations that it was a state surveillance application. The application's privacy policy stated that it may share personal data with regulatory agencies and law enforcement.

July 2020: Renewed Questions About UAE Mass Surveillance

In July 2020, the United Arab Emirates faced renewed questions about mass surveillance amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Experts highlighted that the country has one of the highest per capita concentrations of surveillance cameras in the world.

2024: Fall of the Assad Regime in Syria

Until the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, the Ba'athist government of Syria had been ruling the country as a totalitarian surveillance state, policing every aspect of Syrian society for decades.