Surveillance on Félix Tréguer

Anthropic vs. the Pentagon: An Imperial Marketing Stunt

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the latest issue of Le Monde diplomatique, I revisit the conflict that pitted Anthropic against the Pentagon, in an attempt to analyze this episode and go beyond the dominant media narrative.

The dispute has all the hallmarks of a hit series: a CEO – Dario Amodei – a freedom-loving idealist standing up to the tyrants of the Trump administration. Except that Anthropic’s “ethical” posture appears totally unwarranted, particularly given Claude’s deployments within Palantir’s systems to accelerate the American kill-chain. Anthropic’s focus on the edge case of autonomous weapons in its negotiations with the US military looks more like a distraction from the enormous stakes raised by the integration of LLMs into military operations.

Odyssey 2.0: Undoing the Machine-World

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Three years ago Odyssée 2.0 came out. This book (in French) was born from a photographic and literary project freely inspired by Homer’s myth. Together with photographer Alexa Brunet, we traced Ulysses’ wanderings through Technopolis, a fictional and dystopian “Smart City.”

Below is the translation of the introduction I wrote for that occasion —it had never been published online. In it, I explore the didactic virtues of Greek myths for thinking through the tensions between technological progress and emancipation, before touching on various themes addressed in the photographic series and the accompanying tale we created.

The Practical Limits of Algorithmic Transparency: Lessons from France

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper draws on a talk given a few months ago at the International Conference “Algorithmic transparency and the digital rule of law”, at the Sciences Po Paris Law School. Thanks to Lucas Anjos and Rebecca Mignot-Mahdavi for the invitation.

Abstract

In the face of concerns raised by AI systems in recent years, transparency has emerged as a central governance principle, enshrined in regulations from France’s Digital Republic Law to the EU AI Act. This talk examines the practical enforcement of algorithmic transparency provisions through action-research conducted by La Quadrature du Net, a French digital rights organization. Drawing on five years of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests targeting surveillance algorithms deployed by French public authorities, we document systematic enforcement failures that render transparency requirements largely symbolic. Our findings suggest that transparency operates primarily as a legitimizing device for algorithmic governance rather than as an effective accountability mechanism.

Olympic Surveillance Between Paris and London

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks to Emma Mc Cluskey and Akos Kopper, a cross-interview with Myrtille Picaud and Pete Fussey has just been published in the journal PARISS (Political Anthropological Research on International Social Sciences). In it, we look back at surveillance during the Paris 2024 and London 2012 Olympic Games.

Abstract

Pete Fussey conducted extensive research on Olympic surveillance in London, and Myrtille Picaud, an urban policy sociologist, carried out fieldwork on the Paris Games.

Systemic Opacity and Black Holes in Surveillance Oversight

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

My contribution to the recent symposium of the Commission nationale de contrôle des techniques de renseignement took the form of an article (in both French and English) in the journal Études françaises de renseignement et de cyber (French Studies on Intelligence and Cyber). In it, I revisit the systemic opacity that characterizes the surveillance activities of French intelligence services and the “black holes” of oversight in this domain.

The article also questions the limits of institutional reforms in the face of these dynamics and advocates at minimum for compliance with international legal standards and a much more radical approach to transparency.

How State Surveillance Was Fought

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this month’s edition of Le Monde diplomatique, I have an article in French tracing the history of struggles against state surveillance in the United States in the sixties and seventies.

Abstract

Based on a longer study published earlier this month as a chapter, this article offers a historical perspective on resistance to state surveillance in the United States. It highlights strategies of resistance, but also transformations in the repertoires of actions deployed by the New Left to challenge political surveillance conducted by intelligence agencies (CIA, FBI, military). In particular, it emphasizes the crucial role of alliances between social movements, technical experts, and legal actors in repelling certain surveillance projects and obtaining certain legal guarantees, even if the latter also had a depoliticizing effect.

Promises & Pitfalls of Activist-Researcher Collaborations

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In late January, I took a train up North to attend a conference on predictive policing organized at the IT University of Copenhagen. This international gathering brought together researchers working on the transformation of police surveillance in the digital age, with a particular focus on predictive policing.

Predictive policing in France

Together with Edlira Nano (who sadly could not make the trip), we presented an overview of predictive policing in France titled “From Myth-Making to Quiet Dereliction”.

New Book: Intelligence Oversight in Times of Transnational Impunity

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce the publication of our collective volume Intelligence Oversight in Times of Transnational Impunity: Who Will Watch the Watchers?, co-edited with Didier Bigo and Emma Mc Cluskey, published by Routledge.

Abstract

This volume, derived from the GUARDINT project, examines contemporary challenges in intelligence oversight within a context of growing transnationalization of intelligence activities. Drawing on empirical case studies and theoretical analyses, the contributions question the effectiveness of democratic surveillance mechanisms in the face of mass surveillance scandals revealed since 2013. The book explores structural limitations of national oversight institutions confronted with surveillance practices that largely transcend state borders, while proposing avenues for rethinking forms of accountability in this domain.

Timeline of Intelligence Surveillance Scandals

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Together with my colleagues from the GUARDINT project, we are publishing a report on surveillance scandals involving the US, British, German, and French intelligence services.

Summary

This timeline lists and documents the main surveillance scandals that have come to light in recent decades, from the first revelations about the NSA in the 1960s to Edward Snowden’s disclosures and more recent scandals. It provides an empirical resource for analyzing changes in intelligence services’ surveillance practices in light of the challenges they face.