panopticon

[ pan-op-ti-kon ]

noun

1. a building, as a prison, hospital, library, or the like, so arranged that all parts of the interior are visible from a single point.

Word History and Origins

Origin of panopticon¹

1760–70; pan- + Greek optikón sight, seeing (neuter of optikós; optic )

Example Sentences

Letting defeat creep in when I see all of us getting stomped on by tech-enabled jackboots in an unregulated corporate panopticon.

From Salon

Back then, Rodrigo’s experience as an actor in the durable “High School Musical” franchise — and, of course, as an inhabitant of the digital panopticon that is social media — gave her plenty to rue.

From Los Angeles Times

It was built in 1877 in the form of a panopticon, giving a central guardhouse a clear view to all corners of the "wheel".

From BBC

Taking the second verse of “Pass the Plugs,” Jolicoeur bemoans the industry panopticon of radio programmers, promoters and a record label that wanted more hit singles.

From New York Times

He denounced targeted advertising, the core of Google’s and Facebook’s business models, as “manipulative technology,” and he said that, unlike those companies, Stability AI would not build a “panopticon” that spied on its users.

From New York Times