Chills

The PEN American Center Chilling Effects: NSA Surveillance Drives U.S. Writers to Self-Censor [PDF] report from last year offers a perspective on responses to news of pervasive surveillance in the US.

The report was based on 528 interviews conducted online with PEN members between 10 and 21 October 2013.

The Center comments -

1. There is widespread concern among writers about government surveillance. Few dismiss it as a trivial or unavoidable matter.

• 85% say they are worried about the current levels of government surveillance of Americans – 51% very worried and 35% somewhat worried 

• 73% say they have never been as worried about privacy rights and freedom of the press as they are today – 46% very close and 27% somewhat close 

• 89% are concerned about the government’s secret program to collect and analyze metadata on phone calls, e-mails, browsing, and other activity of Americans – 66% very concerned and 23% somewhat concerned 

• 83% are following news stories about US government surveillance – 33% very closely and 50% somewhat closely 

• There is outright rejection of the notions that:

• “Surveillance is something that all governments do – there’s really nothing new or worrisome about what’s happening now.” Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) reject this view. 

• “The government’s primary concern is monitoring communication with foreigners – it’s not really interested in domestic eavesdropping.” Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) reject this view. 

• “Widespread data surveillance is an absolutely essential tool for the government in the fight against terrorism.” Nearly 3 in 4 (73%) reject this view.

2. Writers are especially concerned about the impact of government surveillance on their ability to do their jobs.

• The vast majority of survey participants self-described as writers (86%); the remainder are editors, translators, and agents. A comparison of responses of writers vs. not writers indicated no substantive differences in opinions or experiences, so we use the term “writers” throughout this report as a general descriptor of survey participants. 

• 81% are very concerned about government efforts to compel journalists to reveal sources of classified information (another 15% are somewhat concerned) 

• 76% believe that increased government surveillance is especially harmful to writers because it impinges upon the privacy they need to create freely

3. As a consequence, self-censorship among writers is now commonplace. Sizeable – perhaps even alarming – numbers say they have altered their behavior (or seriously considered doing so) in the following ways because they thought the government was monitoring their communications:

• Curtailed or avoided activities on social media – 28% have done this and 12% have seriously considered it (40% total) 

• Deliberately steered clear of certain topics in personal phone conversations or e-mail messages – 24% have done this and 9% have seriously considered it (33% total) 

• Avoided writing or speaking on a particular topic – 16% have done this and 11% have seriously considered it (27% total) 

• Refrained from conducting Internet searches or visiting Web sites on topics that may be considered controversial or suspicious – 16% have done this and 12% have seriously considered it (27% total) 

• Took extra steps to cover or disguise digital footprints – 13% have done this and 11% have seriously considered it (24% total)  Took extra precautions to protect the anonymity of sources – 14% have done this and 6% have seriously considered it (20% total) 

• Declined opportunities to meet – physically or electronically – people who might be deemed security threats by the government – 3% have done this and 4% have seriously considered it (6% total)

4. Writers are self-censoring because they genuinely believe that government surveillance has touched them directly. Sizeable numbers are either certain or suspect that the following things have happened to them in the past year or two:

• Donations and organizational affiliations have been monitored by the government – 16% are certain this has happened and 41% suspect it (57% total) 

• Metadata from phone calls or e-mails has been collected and analyzed by the government – 17% are certain this has happened and 34% suspect it (51% total) 

• Things like Internet searches, Web site visits, and book purchases have been tracked by the government – 13% are certain this has happened and 36% suspect it (49% total) 

• A personal profile has been built by the government that diagrams relationships and connections to others – 10% are certain this has happened and 23% suspect it (32% total) 

• The actual content of phone calls or e-mails has been listened to or read – 7% are certain this has happened and 20% suspect it (28% total) 

• The numbers of writers who say they are certain or suspect that these things have happened to “a friend or colleague” in the past year or two are even higher:

• Donations and organizational affiliations have been monitored by the government (64% total) 

• Metadata from phone calls or e-mails has been collected and analyzed by the government (65% total) 

• Things like Internet searches, Web site visits, and book purchases have been tracked by the government (63% total) 

• A personal profile has been built by the government that diagrams relationships and connections to others (56% total) 

• The actual content of phone calls or e-mails has been listened to or read (54% total)

5. Writers believe that the data-trove of personal information now being collected about Americans will be mishandled by the government. This is not to say that they think data are being collected for the express purpose of wrongdoing; but rather that massive data collection of this nature will inevitably lead to mismanagement or abuse, regardless of intent.

• Virtually all (92%) believe that personal data collected by the government will be vulnerable to abuse for many years because it may never be completely erased or safeguarded – 68% very close and 24% somewhat close 

• The overwhelming majority (88%) also say that what really worries them is that a vast amount of data is already in government hands and vulnerable to bureaucratic bungling, misuse, and partisan abuse – 64% very close and 23% somewhat close

6. In qualitative interviews conducted prior to the online survey, PEN members indicated that they are cautious when communicating with people outside the US, because they believe those exchanges are especially susceptible to government monitoring. The survey, which asked respondents to respond to hypothetical scenarios, indicates that such concerns are widely shared: 

• 4% say it is very likely – and 48% that it is realistically possible – that their own e-mail message to someone abroad who was affiliated with an anti-American organization would end up being read by government officials 

• 39% say it is very likely – and 52% that it is realistically possible – that a phone call they would make to someone living in an area of the world known for its antipathy toward the US would be monitored and recorded by government officials 

• 35% say it is very likely – and 49% that it is realistically possible – that if they were to (hypothetically) publish a story or poem depicting anti-American militants in a positive light, it would place them on a list of people to be tracked and monitored by government officials 

• Even among writers who communicate regularly (weekly or more than that) with people who live outside the US, the percentages in the three hypothetical scenarios described above are virtually the same

7. We hypothesized that writers would be more sensitized and worried about the issue of government surveillance than the general public. Comparisons with recent Pew Research Center surveys of the general public support this hypothesis.

• By a margin of 22 percentage points, writers are more likely than the general public to disapprove of “the government’s collection of telephone and Internet data as part of anti-terrorism efforts” – 66% vs. 44%. Only 12% of writers approve, compared with 50% of the general public. There’s also a wide gap in the percentage saying “not sure” – 22% of writers vs. 6% of the general public. 

• Similarly, writers are far more likely than the general public to say they would feel that their “personal privacy had been violated” if they knew that the federal government had collected data about their telephone or Internet activity – 81% vs. 63%. Just 10% of writers say they would not feel that their privacy was violated, compared with 36% of the general public. Again there’s a wide gap in the percentage saying “not sure” – 10% of writers vs. 1% of the general public. 

• 78% of writers believe that most Americans are unconcerned and uninformed about government surveillance

8. Writers are troubled by other ways in which people’s privacy has eroded – their unease is not restricted to surveillance by the US government. 

• 57% are very concerned about corporations gathering data to track and analyze consumer behavior and preferences (and another 33% are somewhat concerned, for a total of 89%). 

• 78% are very concerned about technology companies collaborating with the government to provide vast amounts of personal information on Americans (and another 17% are somewhat concerned, for a total of 94%). 

• And – not surprisingly given that this is a survey of PEN members – the overwhelming majority of writers surveyed (72%) is also very concerned about suppression of free speech and press freedom in countries other than the US (and another 24% are somewhat concerned, for a total of 97%).

9. The vast majority of these findings are consistent across demographic categories – whether young or old; journalist or not; frequent communicator overseas or not; professional or associate member status; female or male; or those who follow the news very closely and those who don’t. Here are a few areas where noteworthy differences were found:

• Younger writers (under 50 years old) sometimes differ from their older counterparts (50+). They are less likely to express concern about surveillance and more likely to take precautionary measures in their work. Younger writers are:

• o Less likely to “very closely” follow news stories about government surveillance efforts within the US (22% vs. 37%) 

• Less likely to be “very concerned” about corporations gathering data to track and analyze consumer behavior and preferences (47% vs. 60%) 

• Less likely to say this statement comes “very close” to their view: Most Americans are unconcerned and uninformed about government surveillance (24% vs. 36%) 

• Less likely to be certain or suspect that a personal profile has been built by the government that diagrams their relationships and connections to others (25% vs. 35%) 

• More likely to have done or seriously considered avoiding writing or speaking on a particular topic (38% vs. 23%) 

• More likely to have done or seriously considered curtailing or avoiding activities on social media (51% vs. 36%) 

• More likely to have done or seriously considered refraining from conducting Internet searches or visiting Web sites on topics that may be considered controversial or suspicious (37% vs. 24%) 

• More likely to have done or seriously considered taking extra steps to cover or disguise digital footprints (35% vs. 20%)

• Journalists differ from the non-journalists (other types of writers and/or editors, agents, and translators) in that they are more attuned to issue around sources. Journalists are:

•  More likely to be “very concerned” about government efforts to compel journalists to reveal sources of classified information (93% vs. 78%) 

• More likely to have taken extra precautions to protect the anonymity of sources (30% vs. 11%) 

• Writers who communicate frequently with people living outside the US differ from those who do not. Frequent communicators are more likely to have self-censored in these three ways and to believe the government has monitored them: (Comparison is between those who communicate overseas weekly or more vs. a few times a month or less)

• More likely to have done or seriously considered avoiding writing or speaking on a particular topic (34% vs. 22%) 

• More likely to have done or seriously considered deliberately steering clear of certain topics in personal phone conversations or e-mail messages (38% vs. 29%) 

• More likely to have done or seriously considered taking extra precautions to protect the anonymity of sources (29% vs. 13%) 

• More likely to be certain or suspect that metadata from their phone calls or emails has been collected and analyzed by the government (58% vs. 47%) .