Reversed Surveillance

The book Reversed Surveillance is a visualisation of invasive surveillance technologies, challenging the prospectof automating crime detection during protests in France. The project reflects on the development andlegislation of mass surveillance by offering a case study on how individuals can protect themselves using thevery tools with which they are surveilled. The project bases on the idea that since it is unlikely to fully revertsurveillance and its effects on society, society should explore ways to reverse its impact. In ReversedSurveillance, Marcel Top demonstrates the potential of reversing surveillance dynamics to protect the right toprotest: by gaining knowledge of accessible surveillance tools, it is possible to ensure police accountability.Marcel Top is a visual artist living and working between Belgium and London. His work explores themes of masssurveillance, privacy, and data collection. In his practice, Top blends traditional documentary research withexperimental uses of new technologies. He initiated the Reversed Surveillance project following the enactmentof new legislation allowing the use of AI-enhanced surveillance in France (Law No. 2023-380), using accessiblealgorithms and available protest footage to simulate how the use of Algorithmic Video Surveillance (AVS) canimpact protesters.