Sousveillance

Sousveillance is the recording of activities by ordinary members of the public using portable personal devices like smartphones or wearable cameras, rather than by authorities or institutions. The term, coined by Steve Mann, derives from French words contrasting "sur" (above) and "sous" (below), representing a reversal of traditional surveillance where everyday people monitor authorities or document everyday activities instead of being monitored from above. Inverse surveillance, a subset of sousveillance, specifically emphasizes citizens recording and analyzing surveillance systems and authority figures as a form of protection and accountability.