Panopticon 2.0: Governing In An Age Of Total Surveillance

Panopticon 2.0 - Governing in an Age of Total Surveillance is a sharp, timely exploration of digital sovereignty in a world increasingly shaped by invisible infrastructures, opaque algorithms, and foreign dependencies. In this book, Thierry Gilgen dissects how surveillance has evolved from Cold War spycraft to a seamless, automated web of cloud services, sensors, and platform monopolies - and why today’s institutions, companies, and even governments are losing control over their own digital environments. Drawing from current events, geopolitical shifts, and real-world tech architectures, the book connects dots across cloud legislation, AI platforms, semiconductor bottlenecks, and the governance vacuum that surrounds them. Gilgen lays out a clear framework of the five ＂layers of control＂ - from chips to contracts - that determine who actually holds power in digital space. More than just critique, Panopticon 2.0 is a practical field guide. It outlines what digital sovereignty means in concrete terms, how to assess systemic exposure, and what organizations - from startups to public agencies - can do to regain leverage in a deeply surveilled and interconnected world. Accessible yet technically grounded, the book speaks to leaders in tech, policy, strategy, and infrastructure. It invites critical reflection on the systems we build, the laws we defer to, and the platforms we rely on - and challenges us to imagine new governance models that match the complexity of the networks we inhabit.