The intrinsic characteristics of modern society lead to an increasing surveillance both in the private sector and public sector. The emergence of new ubiquitous and pervasive technologies, although directed to the fulfillment of everyday's needs, allow, nevertheless, a greater control and supervision of all citizens, which reminds some of authors of the panopticon proposed by Jeremy Bentham and later developed by Michel Foucault. We discuss the fundamental ideas underpinning the model of panopticism and consider whether they are able to portray adequately the current state of affairs, in particular the tendencies observed after the exposure of NSA activities of global surveillance.