This process is regulated by targeting certain 'trigger' words or phrases, visiting certain types of web sites, or communicating via email or online chat with suspicious individuals or groups. Therefore, automated Internet surveillance computers sift through the vast amount of intercepted Internet traffic to identify and report to human investigators the traffic that is considered interesting or suspicious. There is far too much data on the Internet for human investigators to manually search through all of it. In the United States for example, under the Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act, all phone calls and broadband Internet traffic (emails, web traffic, instant messaging, etc.) are required to be available for unimpeded real-time monitoring by federal law enforcement agencies. The vast majority of computer surveillance involves the monitoring of data and traffic on the Internet. International espionage seems to be common among all types of countries. Liberal democracies may have laws that seek to restrict governmental and private use of surveillance, whereas authoritarian governments seldom have any domestic restrictions. Surveillance can be used by governments to unjustifiably violate people's privacy and is often criticized by civil liberties activists. Auditors carry out a form of surveillance. Religious organisations charged with detecting heresy and heterodoxy may also carry out surveillance.

It is also used by criminal organizations to plan and commit crimes, and by businesses to gather intelligence on criminals, their competitors, suppliers or customers. Surveillance is used by governments for intelligence gathering, prevention of crime, the protection of a process, person, group or object, or the investigation of crime. It can also include simple technical methods, such as human intelligence gathering and postal interception. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as closed-circuit television (CCTV), or interception of electronically transmitted information like Internet traffic. Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. Surveillance Camera to support the Washington DC Police

Digital atmosphere pattern