The term ‘surveillance economy’ came up a lot during my recent USA visit, so I started to do some research. Over the coming weeks I’ll share more on the links between surveillance and the economy it generates. Just how much of our day-to-day life is under some kind of surveillance? What happens with the data collected; who gets it, how is it used and who is profiting from it?
This article by the Wall Street Journal includes a catalogue of more than 20 different ways information about us can be recorded during everyday activities, it includes:
- What data is collected?
- Who collects the data?
- Who else gets the data?
- How is the data used?
Whilst the data collected helps manage the world we live in, so much of what is collected reinforces the notion that we are ‘the product’. It's no surprise that the two main beneficiaries are law enforcement and advertisers. Read the The Surveillance Economy article to see which ones apply to you.
