surveillancenoun/sɚˈveɪ.ləns/

• 1

  Close observation of an individual or group; person or persons under suspicion.

  • The surveillance program includes at least 480 LPRs that scan and record about 16.2 million vehicles per week and stores that data for two years, he wrote in the court filing.
• 2

  Continuous monitoring of disease occurrence for example.

  • Lady Anne appeared in a week or two to have greatly recovered her appetite, and she talked much of the benefit derived from her native air, in order to gain which, she constantly drove out in Lord Rotheles's carriages, and appeared to derive comfort from her admiration of his beautiful bays; beyond this Helen could not perceive that her airings were useful, as her cough increased exceedingly, and all the visitants at the castle expressed surprise "that she did not place herself under the surveillance of one or other of the great physicians of the metropolis."
• 3

  espionagegovernmentmilitarySystematic observation of places and people by visual, aural, electronic, photographic or other means.

  • The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty.
  • Cook was making an impassioned plea to end the technology industry’s collection and sale of user data. “This is surveillance,” he continued.
• 4

  lawIn criminal law, an investigation process by which police gather evidence about crimes, or suspected crime, through continued observation of persons or places.