Even as the frenzy of emergency responses begins to subside, the emergent forms of surveillance that have accompanied this new normal persist. As a consequence, societies face new
questions about how to manage the monitoring systems created in response to the virus,
what processes are required in order to immunize populations, and what new norms the systems have generated. How they answer these questions will have long-term impacts on civil
liberties, governance, and the role of technology in society. The systems implemented amid
the public health emergency could jeopardize individual freedoms and exacerbate harms to
already vulnerable groups, particularly if they are adapted to operate as permanent social
management tools. At the same time, growing public awareness about the impact of public
health technologies could also provide a catalyst for strengthening democratic engagement
and demonstrating the urgency of improving governance systems. As the world transitions in
and out of pandemic crisis modes, there is an opportunity to think broadly about strengthening public health systems, policymaking, and the underlying structure of our social compacts.
The stakes are high: an enduring lesson from history is that moments of crisis often recast the
roles of governments and the rights of individuals. In this moment of flux, the Social Science
Research Council calls on policymakers, technologists, data scientists, health experts, academics, activists, and communities around the world to assess the implications of this transformation and seize opportunities for positive social change. The Council seeks to facilitate a shift
from reactive modes of crisis response to more strategic forms of deliberation among varied
stakeholders. As such, it has convened discussions and directed research in order to better understand the intersection of governance and technologically enabled surveillance in conditions
of public health emergencies. Through these activities, the Council aims to provide analysis
that can help foster societies that are more resilient, democratic, and inclusive and can, therefore, better withstand future crises.