We have little real choice in our digital lives other than to acquiesce to systematic data collection and surveillance by corporations.* Digital experiences are optimized to extract as much data about ourselves, our environment, and our behavior as possible, while providing us with almost no opportunity to understand what data is being collected, who has access to this data, and how it’s being used to shape our behavior and opportunities. The surveillance economy gives the watchers “unprecedented ... power… distinguished by extreme concentrations of knowledge and no democratic oversight.” (Shoshana Zuboff). Yet these watchers are also sloppy and negligent, permitting their systems to be breached and gamed in ways that cause enormous harm to people, businesses, and society.
To explore different dimensions of the Surveillance Economy, we spoke to over 45 people representing a wide range of perspectives on this space — from policy wonks, economic theorists, and heads of government to product managers, community members, Fellows, and diversity, equity, and inclusion activists. We asked each to help us understand the State of the Surveillance Economy: What is it? How did we get here? Why is it so insidious? How, exactly, does it hurt people and companies? And, most importantly, what can we do about it?