A few weeks back, an HN reader asked "Can you name some of the authors who were publishing panopticon concerns [in the 1980s or earlier], or the media they were publishing in?"

As there didn't seem to be a useful compilation, I created one. This seems useful in answering persistent questions, tropes, and dismissals concerning privacy and surveillance.

A formatted version lives at: https://joindiaspora.com/posts/bf4f5f10f6120138799c002590d8e...

(Additions welcomed.)

On authors who were publishing information technology panopticon concerns in the 1980s, or earlier

Paul Baran / RAND

- “On the Engineer’s Responsibility in Protecting Privacy”

- “On the Future Computer Era: Modification of the American Character and the Role of the Engineer, or, A Little Caution in the Haste to Number”

- “The Coming Computer Utility – Laissez-Faire, Licensing, or Regulation?”

- “Remarks on the Question of Privacy Raised by the Automation of Mental Health Records”

- “Some Caveats on the Contribution of Technology to Law Enforcement”

Largely written/published 1967–1969.

https://www.rand.org/pubs/authors/b/baran_paul.html

Willis Ware / RAND

Too numerous to list fully, 1960s --1990s. Highlights:

- “Security and Privacy in Computer Systems” (1967)

- “Computers in Society’s Future” (1971)

- “Records, Computers and the Rights of Citizens” (1973

- “Privacy and Security Issues in Information Systems” (1976)

- “Information Systems, Security, and Privacy” (1983)

- “The new faces of privacy” (1993)

https://www.rand.org/pubs/authors/w/ware_willis_h.html

Misc

- Shoshana Zuboff, In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power (1988) Notably reviewed in the Whole Earth Catalog’s Signal: Communication Tools for the Information Age (1988).

https://www.worldcat.org/title/in-the-age-of-the-smart-machi... https://archive.org/details/inageofsmartmach00zubo/page/n7/m...

- “Danger to Civil Rights?”, 80 Microcomputing (1982)

https://archive.org/stream/80_Microcomputing_Issue_26_1982-0... (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14329877)

- “Computer-Based National Information Systems: Technology and Public Policy”, NTIS (September 1981)

http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/ota/Ota_5/DATA/1981/8109.PDF

- “23 to Study Computer ‘Threat’” (1970)

https://www.nytimes.com/1970/03/12/archives/23-to-study-comp...

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

“Privacy and Information Technology” bibliography is largely 1990–present, but contains some earlier references.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/it-privacy/#Bib

Similarly “Privacy”

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/privacy/

Credit Reporting / Legislation

US Privacy Act of 1974

https://www.justice.gov/opcl/privacy-act-1974

Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 - Queensland Government, Australia

https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/inforce/current/...

Arthur R. Miller, The assault on privacy: computers, data banks, and dossiers

https://archive.org/details/assaultonprivacy00mill/page/n7/m...

“The Computer, the Consumer and Privacy” (1984)

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/04/weekinreview/the-computer...

Richard Boeth / Newsweek

The specific item I’d had in mind:

Richard Boeth, “Is Privacy Dead”, Newsweek, July 27, 1970

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/11/is-privacy-...

Direct PDF: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/712228/1970-newsw...

Based on an HN comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24851736