Book Review: Pandemic Surveillance

This book review has two layers of motivation. First, I agreed to review Pandemic Surveillance because I recently edited a 22-chapter volume titled Det Epidemiske Samfund [The Epidemic Society] (together with Nikolaj Schulz for Hans Reitzel in 2020). Furthermore, I also published a paper on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and behavior in public spaces (Jensen, 2021). Hence, the theme of COVID-19 resonates with my research interests. Second, I was curious to see what one of the most important sociological thinkers within surveillance studies would make of the COVID-19 pandemic. David Lyon, a Scottish Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Law and former Director of the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen's University in Canada, is primarily known for his many years of contributing to surveillance studies. He was the founding editor of the journal Surveillance & Society and has published extensively in the cross fields between technology, communication, and surveillance studies.

In the book's first chapter on “defining moments,” Lyon takes readers through the plethora of manifestations that COVID-19 has had in relation to various themes of surveillance. In particular, we read about emerging surveillance practices and their different expressions across different societies. The chapter also introduces the discussion of “technological solutionism.” Lyon argues that the notions of “pandemic” and “surveillance” belong together based on how societies have dealt with various diseases over the course of history. Nomenclatures, categories, data, monitoring, and surveillance have always been part of the toolbox. The novelty this time around, which Lyon indeed is cognizant of, is that we now live in an age of global digital network communication systems. Hence, we are looking at very different dynamics.

The theme of chapter two is “disease-driven surveillance.” In this chapter, Lyon explores so-called “contact tracing,” which for many has been COVID-19’s most obvious touchpoint to systems of surveillance. The third chapter is dedicated to “domestic targets.” Here, Lyon moves into the domestic spheres, exploring the many ways that the “stay at home, stay safe” mantra manifests itself in people's everyday lives. Simultaneously, many people experienced how the home became a node in a global surveillance network. In chapter four, the theme is “data sees all?” In this chapter, we are obviously prompted to reflect, as indicated by the question mark. Moreover, Lyon makes that case that thinking about data has become so culturally prolific that “having data” equals knowing. Data has a cultural value to the extent that lacking data equals lacking insight. However, Lyon also questions whether data automatically renders the world more transparent.

Chapter five is titled “Disadvantages and the Triage” and explores classification and categorization. Despite its peculiar title (“triage” is the process one undergoes when being hospitalized to assess one's priority as a patient), this chapter is perhaps the most interesting. The importance of tying groups of data to particular forms of social sorting mechanisms echoes epistemological politics reminiscent of Michel Foucault writings or Bowker and Star's seminal book Sorting Things Out: Classifications and its Consequences (2000). Chapter six touches base on a theme that you, as an avid reader of sociological monographs, were waiting for: “Democracy and Power.” Here, Lyon, expectedly, turns to questions of civil liberties and rights. The chapter highlights the complex nexus between states and market agents when putting together systems of pandemic surveillance. In this respect, COVID-19 offered “new solutions,” and new forms of state-market interactional dynamics. Some of which Lyon asks us to be very critical of. The book concludes with chapter seven, which has the slightly cryptic title “Doorway to Hope.” As the book unfolds, it becomes clear that Lyon does not subscribe to “technological solutionism.” Conversely, however, he also does not conclude on a dystopian note (hence the chapter's title). Rather, Lyon argues that what we should have learned as a society from COVID-19 and pandemic surveillance, is to advocate for “data justice” in a quest for human flourishing and the common good.

Overall, Pandemic Surveillance is well-written, has clear prose, and is well structured. It will surely resonate with those who have experienced COVID-19. That is, almost everyone. Exemplifying the “sociological imagination” (Mills, 1959), Lyon's book deftly connects public issues and private troubles. Moreover, it also touches upon an ongoing discussion within the social sciences: should one “await” the ending of events before studying them or should one study events as they unfold? When editing Det Epidemiske Samfund, Nikolaj Schultz and I discussed this extensively. Some contributors were reluctant to engage out of fear of contributing to “eventist sociology.” Personally, I find it hard to sympathize with the standpoint that sociology must only deal with “data of the past” Rather, with COVID-19 as an obvious case, there is a need for critical and committed social science to engage the world during massive social disruptions and transformation. In Pandemic Surveillance, Lyon's aim is clear. He chose not to “wait it out” but rather to engage in ongoing problems of surveillance wrought by the COVID-19 epidemic. However, this strategy also contributed to one of the book's drawbacks: a heavy reliance on secondary data sources (which Lyon reflects upon himself, p. 18). Ideally, a book on pandemic surveillance would include more up-to-date and fit-for-purpose data. On balance, however, I would choose Lyon's expedient strategy. Not at least because of its value as an important voice in the wider conversation. The ways in which COVID-19 is bound up with surveillance are far from trivial, which Lyon's contribution sheds important light on. All in all, this reader found Pandemic Surveillance well worth the read and then some. It is an important book, teasing out several ethical and moral dilemmas and issues.