Author(s): Anil Kumar Parhi

Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Permanent Record by Edward Snowden, focusing on what Snowden calls the “Frankenstein effect”, the unintended and often harmful consequences of technological innovation. By bringing together Shelley’s early warning about the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition and Snowden’s account of modern surveillance systems, the paper argues that today’s intelligence structures repeat the same ethical failures: they create systems without taking responsibility for them, operate at a distance that weakens empathy, and exercise power without sufficient accountability. It further suggests that the shift from human intelligence (HUMINT), which involves direct human interaction, to signals intelligence (SIGINT), which relies on remote data collection, does not mark ethical progress. Instead, it expands forms of power that are increasingly detached from moral responsibility. Ultimately, the paper argues that as technology creates greater distance between action and consequence, it erodes what can be understood as “moral proximity,” making ethical judgment more difficult in the digital age.

Keywords: Frankenstein Effect; Surveillance Technology; Moral Proximity; Intelligence Ethics

Article Info: Received: 26 Mar 2026; Received in revised form: 20 Apr 2026; Accepted: 24 Apr 2026; Available online: 29 Apr 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.112.94