PRISMS

The PRISMS project analysed the traditional trade-off model between privacy and security and devised a more evidence-based perspective for reconciling privacy and security, trust and concern. It examined how technologies aimed at enhancing security are subjecting citizens to an increasing amount of surveillance and, in many cases, causing infringements of privacy and fundamental rights. It conducted both a multidisciplinary inquiry into the concepts of privacy and security and their relationships and an EU-wide survey to determine whether people evaluate the introduction of security technologies in terms of a trade-off. As a result, the project determined the factors that affect public assessment of the security and privacy implications of a given security technology. The project used these results to devise a decision support system providing users (those who deploy and operate security systems) insight into the pros and cons, constraints and limits of specific security investments compared to alternatives taking into account a wider society context.

The project achieved these results through a set of work packages providing an analysis of security and privacy technologies, a policy assessment of security and privacy, a criminological analysis, a legal perspective, a discourse analysis of media attention to privacy, security and trust issues and an analysis of existing public opinion surveys. The findings of these WPs will be integrated as part of the preparations for our survey, the first of its kind to sample public opinion in all Member States on these issues.