Most of the regulations and laws are not unlimited and have to be balanced with other rights. Take for an example when governments regulates our privacy. Governments are allowed to discipline drivers if they do not engage the seat belt. This is a little infringement into our privacy but no one argue that is a problem, because the most important rights still be respected and this regulation is protects’ us.
Observation is not a new phenomenon, it has always been in the communities, as he explains its historical background and analyzing the appearing and embodiment of surveillance through several periods. Lyon () says governments have always been observing society so that they can spread their control and deeds. In another book (Lyon, ) he argues that surveillance is a part of modern life and not ‘intrinsically anti-social or repressive’ (p. 31). It coordinates the life of the individuals across customs, workplaces, shopping malls, public areas. This kind of surveillance has increased significantly with the appearance of computers. In addition, it has now become a part of the all-encompassing Internet and social media.

The challenges of surveillance also play an important role in the debates of security versus privacy. These challenges include privacy laws and other social movements, according to Lyon. Power and surveillance has a special and complex social relation. It is forming a ‘superpanopticon’ by effecting on ‘life chances and social destinities’ (p. 151)

Mayer-Schonberger and Cukier (cited in van Dick, 2014 p) who wrote about the metadata’s far and wide availability and the danger of that, argue that, that governments have to take measures because they are responsible to prevent the potential risks. Security is a conscious risk taking and it is not about avoiding risks, but about managing them.