Sousveillance is the recording of an activity by a member of the public, rather than a person or organisation in authority, typically by way of small wearable or portable personal technologies. The term, coined by Steve Mann, stems from the contrasting French words sur, meaning "above", and sous, meaning "below", i.e. "surveillance" denotes the "eye-in-the-sky" watching from above, whereas "sousveillance" denotes bringing the means of observation down to human level, either physically or hierarchically.
Surveillance as compared with sousveillance
Sousveillance devices for ACM's CFP2005 conference attendees.
Cameras can easily be mounted on bicycles, to record sports activities—or record acts of road rage.
HeartCam, wearable interactive art to reverse the male gaze, inventor: S. Mann, July 2001.
Wearable technology is any technology that is designed to be used while worn. Common types of wearable technology include smartwatches and smartglasses. Wearable electronic devices are often close to or on the surface of the skin, where they detect, analyze, and transmit information such as vital signs, and/or ambient data and which allow in some cases immediate biofeedback to the wearer.
A smartwatch
World's First Consumer Released Smart Ring, by McLear/NFC Ring, circa 2013
Samsung Galaxy Watch is designed specifically for sports and health functions, including a step counter and a heart rate monitor.
A soldier demonstrates a virtual reality system that could be used to help treat PTSD