2026 Dünya Kupası, Yapay Zeka Destekli Küresel Gözetimi Yeni Boyutlara Taşıyor

In addition to being the largest sporting event in history, the 2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası is also going down in history as the most surveilled event ever. The ABD government has transferred more than 1 billion dollars in financial resources to this massive organization to ensure the security of stadiums, transportation hubs, and surrounding areas. This colossal investment includes the strengthening of tactical operations such as bomb disposal units and special teams, as well as the addition and upgrading of various equipment. This situation has practically started a golden age for private sector security companies. Visitors' faces, behaviors, movements, and digital devices are monitored and analyzed second by second by both government agencies and private companies.

Officials trying to justify the situation state that a very significant portion of the security investments was made to prevent potential dangers that could arise from unauthorized drone use. However, the excuse of providing protection against these threats also helps the rapid expansion of collaboration in surveillance technologies between the government and the private sector. This situation creates a different risk that seriously threatens individuals' right to privacy, rather than ensuring the security of sporting events. Every step people take, from airports to stadiums, is tracked with advanced biometric systems. This increasingly massive surveillance network brings privacy concerns along with it.

As a lawyer and educator who has worked in the field of privacy and surveillance for many years, the author provided important recommendations regarding law enforcement's use of drones while ensuring security. However, as the author also points out, the argument of ensuring the safety of life and property is very frequently used as a catalyst to increase the government's surveillance capacity. Unfortunately, such comprehensive security measures can lead to the erosion of civil liberties, the restriction of freedom of expression, and the infringement of the freedom of association. Even the world's largest sporting events are being turned into opportunities by disregarding fundamental human rights. When security concerns are prioritized above all else, individuals' rights are frequently pushed to the background.

Experiences gained over the years clearly show that surveillance-friendly policies and established high-tech systems are rarely dismantled once they are implemented. Extraordinary security measures taken for major events like the Dünya Kupası continue to be a part of daily life even after the event ends, and moreover, the capacities of these systems increase day by day. AI-assisted surveillance systems reach their peak through drones and cameras placed in every corner of stadiums and surrounding cities. Such events are used as an excuse to test and normalize new and more invasive surveillance technologies. The permanence of this technological infrastructure harbors the danger of creating an insurmountable surveillance society for future generations.

Such intense surveillance and harsh changes in immigration policies in the ABD have mobilized more than 120 civil society organizations, including Amnesty International and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). These organizations issued a travel advisory warning that individuals traveling to the ABD could be exposed to harms that may violate their legal human rights obligations. The warnings in question highlight very serious dangers such as the examination of social media accounts, the forcible confiscation of electronic devices, racist profiling, detention, deportation, and even the risk of death. Many European governments have similarly officially warned their own citizens against these surveillance and profiling risks. All these developments reveal that massive sporting events organized on a global scale are no longer just a game, but have transformed into arenas where mass digital surveillance is legitimized.