Question

What is meant by the “blurring” of the sectors? In what ways does this occur?

Please cite your sources.

Answer 1

The blurring of the public and private sectors is itself driven by two major factors. First, there is a widespread belief that government and the private sector should work in tandem to maximize efficiency and productivity. Because of this belief, many tasks that were once performed by government are now outsourced to companies. The second crucial factor is that new technologies facilitate the breakdown of traditional institutional distinctions both across and within sectors, allowing data to flow in both directions without the traditional oversight requirement of a judicial warrant. So the breakdown of the barriers between the public and private sectors is both a cause and a consequence of increasing surveillance.