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The data harvesting economy, or the “surveillance economy” is the business of mass collection and use of trillions of unimaginable private human data points for profit on a mind-boggling scale.
The benefit to consumers is of course that they now get access to levels of technology and convenience that were inconceivable a decade ago.
However, this industry operates with the default setting that they have dominion over all consumer activity and data, once it’s unlocked by the act of purchase, thus allowing for this information to be collected and used without knowledge or consent, under the guise of “consumer anonymity.”
According to the Government Accountability Office, consumer user data and device security is considered low priority by the industry, and are typically stored and/or operated with only basic security measures.
This accounts for the multiple hacks, mass breaches, and numerous cyber attacks, including the recent obscenity-screaming robot vacuum and Ring camera attacks.
This presents not just a profound problem — but an existential one.
The surveillance economy has not only facilitated a significant loss of our basic human privacy and agency, but the level of systemic data insecurity it created has been designated as a national security threat by both the Office of the National Cyber Director and the Department of Homeland Security.
According to multiple government agencies, the systemic data vulnerability inherent in the surveillance economy not only exposes businesses and government to criminal and state sponsored attacks — it also threatens the average citizen.
Attackers and bad actors can analyze stolen data using AI tech to create personalized phishing schemes, or automate the process of identifying vulnerable targets, making mass individual private ransomware attacks inevitable.
It is essential to understand that almost everything today is now part of the larger algorithm-driven machine that is harvesting yottabytes of your private data that you didn’t even know existed.
This is not just a round up of the usual suspects: phones, computers, cars, and home appliances. Today any product can be a perpetrator, from toilet paper, shoes, and clothing to even underwear and food, etc.
Here is a small sampling of questionable, active methods and automatic tech that capture and sell your private data legally:
- Location data providers sell foot traffic information to retailers.
- Cell phone providers sell customer location data to retailers.
- Retailers use item discounts and loyalty card programs to collect and sell customer data to industry.
Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) is a broad category of technologies used to automatically collect information from an individual, animal, object, image, or sound.
This includes:
Internet of Things (IoT) Devices — A nonstandard computing hardware system comprising a network of devices that communicate and connect with each other via long-range radio waves using RFID or barcode scanning as a core component to identify objects, sensors, actuators, or appliances — automatically capturing and transmitting real-time data, such as temperature, humidity, motion, foot traffic, and human activity. These are typically used in residential and commercial spaces, consumer goods, mobile devices, industrial equipment, environmental and commercial sensors, medical devices, etc.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips — A wireless technology that uses radio waves to connect to a network. It automatically stores and transmits data, identifies and tracks objects, people, or animals. It can be powered by a remote scanner or by batteries. The smallest is 2.5 millimeters square and 0.3 millimeters thick. They are typically embedded in consumer goods, industrial equipment, medical devices, etc.
Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) — A software technology in most screen devices (mobile devices, computers, and smart TVs) that takes multiple screenshots per second whenever the device is operating. It identifies and collects information about content being played on the device. It automatically gathers data such as viewing history, geolocation, and user pathways without any user input.
These are just some of the hundreds of different data collection operations that put your private information at risk and that are also being sucked into the vortex of generative AI training without your consent.
There is an array of rationale for why this industry doesn’t use more robust data security including:
- Existing laws don’t protect user privacy.
- Regulators are far behind industry.
- The systems used are inherently vulnerable to human error.
- Industry insider maleficence.
- The black market value of the data.
But the primary reason is the economics of the situation. In 2023 the global cybersecurity market was $222.66 billion, the average cost of a data breach was $4.45 million.
This type of data does not have high monetary value (e.g. financial, medical, or governmental); its exposure does not translate directly into lost revenue. So at this point it’s still more cost effective to just deal with the data breach fallout rather than pay for more expensive and effective preventive measures.
But, according to Cybersecurity Ventures the costs related to this issue are growing by 15 percent each year, projected to be $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, up from $3 trillion in 2015. If accurate, this will be “The greatest transfer of economic wealth in history.”
So it stretches credulity that industry is still perpetually “Shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here” after each instance of cybercrime.
The US does not yet have a comprehensive privacy law governing the collection, use, and sale of consumer data but legislation is starting to change.
What Does 2024 Have in Store for the World of Cybersecurity?
The author writes, “As the world navigates the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats and attack surfaces, it’s important to remember that being proactive is better than being reactive. As the leader of a cybersecurity company, I know this firsthand. With that in mind, I’m sharing some of my key cybersecurity predictions for 2024 based on the trends I’ve observed this past year.”
How AI Surveillance Threatens Democracy Everywhere
The author writes, “Around the world, a new breed of digital eyes is keeping watch over citizens. Although mass surveillance isn’t new, AI-powered systems are providing governments more efficient ways of keeping tabs on the public. According to the 2019 AI Global Surveillance Index, 56 out of 176 countries now use artificial intelligence in some capacity to keep cities ‘safe.’ Among other things, frail non-democratic governments can use AI-enabled monitoring to detect and track individuals and deter civil disobedience before it begins, thereby bolstering their authority.”
How Surveillance Capitalism Is Undermining Democracy
From PBS: “The content on sites like Facebook and Google is supposedly free of charge. But what are the hidden costs to unsuspecting users? Shoshana Zuboff warns of an information coup, with the foundations of American democracy placed under threat by the tech giants’ clandestine data collection process. She speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about the dangers of ‘surveillance capitalism.’”
Shoshana Zuboff on Surveillance Capitalism’s Threat to Democracy
The author writes, “On February 4, Google proudly announced that its Nest Secure home anti-intrusion device would now support its voice-activated Google Assistant service. There was a catch, however: No one knew that the Nest Secure actually had a microphone inside it. Google claims the microphone ‘was never intended to be a secret’ and ‘has never been turned on,’ but it’s hard to shake the feeling that hidden mics are a natural step for Silicon Valley giants intent on collecting as much data as possible, no matter the cost to user privacy. This episode is a perfect encapsulation of the digital threat outlined in a new book by tech critic and Harvard Business School professor Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power.”
Project 2025 Will Undermine America’s National Security
From the Center for American Progress: “The far-right policy proposals in Project 2025 will fundamentally undermine the national and economic security of the United States, benefiting its adversaries and making all Americans less safe.”
Social Media and Surveillance Capitalism: Facebook, Political Polarization, Orwellian Dystopia, and American Democracy
From DePauw University: “Social media platforms have played a significant role in recent elections in the U.S. and other democracies. … This paper is an attempt to assess whether big tech companies have created an Orwellian state in the U.S. We argue that the idiom of the Orwellian dystopia has been misused by scholars, commentators, and politicians on the political left as well as the political right. Our analysis of social media, especially Facebook, shows that the social media companies are not intentionally trying to subvert American democracy. Instead, as a business, they are driven by a profit motive and the logic of ‘surveillance capitalism.’”
Apple’s Insider Leaks Reveal the Potential for a New AI Fix
The author writes, “Apple’s the largest company in the world, with a market cap of $3.48 trillion. If they can’t keep a lid on some of their most important information, what does that mean for the rest of us, with our entire private lives stored on company servers? You know, things like our social security numbers, healthcare records and financial data — pretty much all that seems to get leaked these days?”
