Our first in-depth episode for Season 6 tackles the controversial topic of mass surveillance.  New technology allows governments and companies to track nearly everything we do: what we buy, where we go, who we meet and how we think.  It's given them an unprecedented amount of power.

So, what does this mean for our safety, democracy and global stability?  Join Rhiannon, Kevin Macnish and Moira Paterson as they consider:

• The future of surveillance and "smart cities".

• Whether mass surveillance is good for us in the long-run.

• What we should make of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden.

• Whether the law and civil society can hold governments to account.

Kevin Macnish is the Digital Ethics Consulting Manager at Sopra Steria, a leading tech company in Europe.  He has taught ethics and IT at the University of Twente and the University of Leeds.  Kevin researches the ethics of surveillance, cybersecurity and technology.  Read more of Kevin's work here.

Moira Patterson teaches and researches in field of information law at Monash University.  She focuses on freedom of information, privacy and data protection, and has advised the Australian Information Commissioner.  Moira's articles can be found here.