Is Internet privacy dead? Recovering Internet privacy in an increasingly surveillant society.

Surveillance on the Internet is a new battleground which attracts attention from all walks of life in our society. Since the 2013 Snowden revelations, the practice of Internet surveillance has become common knowledge. This research critically examines whether or not Internet privacy is dead, with a specific focus on the technical aspects of the Internet in order to express how technology is used to enhance and to invade privacy. This sets it apart from the existing literature in the field.

In this research, three jurisdictions are chosen as case studies: the US and the UK as western jurisdictions with different legal systems, and China which has extensive surveillance and limited Internet privacy. The research explores the meaning of privacy in the information society and investigates the ways in which Internet privacy is integrated in the three chosen jurisdictions are critically analysed and discussed.

The research findings reveal that Internet privacy is being taken away in both the US and the UK and it is hard to be optimistic for the future in the light of the 2013 Snowden revelations and ongoing changes to legislation, particularly the Investigatory Powers Bill in the UK. Through the examination of the evolution of the Internet in China and its nascent and evolving laws relating to data protection and privacy, the research findings demonstrate that China holds a great deal of control over its Internet and has implemented technical measures of surveillance, effectively meaning that Internet privacy in China is dead. Most importantly, through the examination of these three jurisdictions, there is strong evidence to suggest that these nation states are not so different when it comes to the invasion of Internet privacy. Despite these, there is still hope and the research concludes by examining possible ways to prevent the demise of Internet privacy.