surveillance capitalism
data capitalism
West2017DataCapitalism
Surveillance Capitalism
Definition of Surveillance Capitalism
The origin term surveillance capitalism is attributed to Shoshana Zuboff (2015). The term is closely related to data capitalism, as it is a more specific form of it. Surveillance capitalism focusses on predicting and modifying human behaviour and aims to utilise this to produce both revenue and market control. It does this through the extraction and analysis of personal data. In another article, Zuboff (2019, p. 13) states that surveillance capitalism relies on behavioural surplus. This is data reserves that are more than what is required for product and service improvement.
Since surveillance capitalism requires personal data, a lot of it, the concept is also closely related to privacy. This type of personal data is very often collected without a high level of consent, as people are consistently unaware of the extent of the tracking of digital behaviours.
Implications of commitment to Surveillance Capitalism
There are a two main values at stake since the rise of Surveillance Capitalism. First, the implications it has on human autonomy. Considering that surveillance capitalism is focused on modifying human behaviour, questions are raised about our choices: are they truly our own, or are they largely shaped by what companies like Google want us to choose? And in addition, people are often not aware of the fact that there is being nudged in these cases. The amount of power in the hands of a small group of large companies could potentially be incredibly dangerous. They could influence elections and could be a threat to democracy. Second, privacy could be at stake. The amount of personal information that is extracted for the sole purpose of revenue can contain a lot of information about us. An old but famous example of this, is the time that target could predict the pregnancy of a girl before her father knew about it (Hill, 2012).
Societal transformations required for addressing concern raised by Surveillance Capitalism
As the threats that surveillance capitalism poses on autonomy, privacy, and even our democracies, there are several (social) measures that are capable of mitigating it:
- There is a need for regulations about the extent of data storage. Companies should be restricted in storing data for which they have no direct use. This issue is addressed in the 2016's GDPR. It's scope, however, is restricted to the European Union, while a large portion of the companies that perform surveillance capitalism are from the United States and might use loopholes. There also has been criticism on it in the past (Burgess, 2022). We might need further transformations and reenforcement on this end. Stronger regulations could protect privacy more effectively.
- People should be informed in a better way, before they can give valid, informed consent. At the moment, companies try to work around it often and make it harder for their customers to understand the implications of the ongoing data collection. At the same time, people should educate themselves better on the topic of surveillance capitalism. This all could increase human autonomy.
References
Burgess, M. (2022, May 23). How GDPR Is Failing. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/gdpr-2022/
Hill, K. (2012, February 16). How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/
Zuboff, S. (2015). Big other: surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilization. Journal of information technology, 30(1), 75-89.
Zuboff, S. (2019, January). Surveillance capitalism and the challenge of collective action. In New labor forum (Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 10-29). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: sage Publications.