Project Overview
How do older adults understand and experience surveillance when using digital and AI-based technologies, and how do these experiences shape perceptions of privacy and technostress? The aim of the Deepening the Understanding of Older Adults’ Perceptions of ICT-Based Surveillance Project is to build on Aging in Data’s cross-national survey research and explore how older adults across 8 countries understand, interpret, and experience being surveilled or monitored through everyday digital and AI-based technologies.
Aging in Data’s cross-national survey research offers the earliest multi‑country snapshot of how older adults perceive ICT‑based surveillance. It revealed who older adults believe is monitoring them, how they judge the risks and benefits, and how these perceptions relate to stress and privacy‑protective habits. The survey sparked international conference panels, student involvement, and a special issue of the Journal of Global Aging. This project aims to build on that survey’s momentum to deepen and contextualize quantitative survey findings through qualitative inquiry.
The Deepening the Understanding of Older Adults’ Perceptions of ICT-Based Surveillance Project uses focus groups to hear directly from older adults about their experiences, interpretations, and concerns. We explore 4 core questions:
- 1) Perceptions of being monitored: How do older adults describe feeling followed or observed while using digital tools?
- 2) Who is doing the watching: Do older adults see governments, companies, employers, bad actors, or individuals such as family and friends as critical surveillance actors?
- 3) Consequences of surveillance: How do older adults weigh convenience, safety, and personalization against concerns like misuse of data or loss of autonomy?
- 4) Technostress and privacy habits: How does stress, uncertainty, or frustration influence the ways older adults protect themselves online?
An International Effort
Focus groups are being conducted across seven AiD partner countries: Austria, Australia, Israel, Romania, the Netherlands, and the UK, with additional data collection in the United States. Focus groups will include adults aged 60–69, adults aged 70 and over, employed adults aged 60 and over, and a general group open to adults aged 60 and over. Canada includes an expanded design with 12 focus groups across British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec, comparing English- and French-speaking participants in urban and rural communities.
Adding New Dimensions: AI & Place
Today’s digital world is shaped not only by traditional ICT tools but also by rapidly expanding AI systems. This project introduces two new areas of examination:
- Traditional vs. AI‑driven surveillance: Including algorithmic profiling, automated decision-making, and generative AI tools. Participants will discuss whether AI feels different, more intrusive, or more helpful than familiar technologies like smartphones or social media.
- Urban vs. rural experiences: Recognizing that access, infrastructure, social networks, and local norms shape how surveillance is encountered and interpreted.
These additional dimensions will help reveal how context matters in shaping perceptions of surveillance among older adults.
Why This Work Matters
Older adults bring decades of experience with changing technologies and evolving expectations around privacy, trust, and control. By bringing their perspectives into conversations about surveillance and AI, this study aims to develop more nuanced, age-inclusive understandings of digital monitoring. This project’s findings will contribute to research, policy, and technology design that better reflects how older adults navigate increasingly datafied digital environments.
