Glass house effect

Glass House Effect (or GHE), is the resulting phenomenon brought on by an awareness that one is subject to ubiquitous surveillance. In corporate environments, the transparency is considered a good idea, as it is believed this discourages corporate crime and other misfeasance.

GHE can induce an overwhelming sense of hopelessness brought on those subject to such uncontrolled observation. In such circumstances, solitude is conspicuously absent, and privacy is considered a "thoughtcrime". The messages conveyed to the subject in such an environment usually involve some variation on the notion of Catch-22, such as

# There is no place to hide; nor should you want to.
# Any exhibited avoidance behavior is considered a threat, and an invitation for additional scrutiny.

Ecological reference

In Ecology, GHE is term used to describe a process that captures and retains heat in a system. See the article on Global warming for additional information.

External links

* [http://www.harari.com/articles.php?WhichArticle=37 Leaders Should Exploit the "Glass House Effect"] , an Oren Harari essay in support of GHE
* [http://money.cnn.com/2000/03/10/electronic/q_brin_intv/ An argument for openness] argument for a transparent society from David Brin.