Risks inherent in the digital surveillance economy: A research agenda

Abstract

The digitisation of data about the world relevant to business has given rise to a new phase of digitalisation of business itself. The digitisation of data about people has linked with the notions of information society, surveillance society, surveillance state and surveillance capitalism, and given rise to what is referred to in this article as the digital surveillance economy. At the heart of this is a new form of business model that is predicated on the acquisition and consolidation of very large volumes of personal data, and its exploitation to target advertisements, manipulate consumer behaviour, and price goods and services at the highest level that each individual is willing to bear. In the words of the model’s architects, users are ‘bribed’ and ‘induced’ to make their data available at minimal cost to marketers. The digital surveillance economy harbours serious threats to the interests of individuals, societies and polities. That in turn creates risks for corporations. The new economic wave may prove to be a tsunami that swamps the social dimension and washes away the last five centuries’ individualism and humanism. Alternatively, institutional adaptation might occur, overcoming the worst of the negative impacts; or a breaking-point could be reached and consumers might rebel against corporate domination. A research agenda is proposed, to provide a framework within which alternative scenarios can be investigated.

Those who control the code control the rules: How different perspectives of privacy are being written into the code of blockchain systems

“…This means privacy and supervision often become topics of heated debate as new network technologies emerge (cf. Clarke, 2019; Davison, 2012; Goodell and Aste, 2019; Hey Tow et al, 2010; March, 2019; Rueckert, 2019). These concerns seem especially salient for blockchain systems.…”

Perspectives from Higher Education: Applied Sciences University Teachers on the Digitalization of the Bioeconomy : The Acceptance of Digital Surveillance in an Age of Big Data

“…The Acceptance of Digital Surveillance in an Age of Big Data Mika Westerlund, Diane A. Isabelle, Seppo Leminen governments across the world have come under sharp criticism for their use of digital surveillance technologies to gather massive amounts of personal information, yet with little evidence of this mass surveillance being effective in improving security for users of digital tools (Zhang et al, 2017;Cayford & Pieters, 2018). Clarke (2019) argued that the growing levels of digital surveillance may even wash away achievements over previous centuries for individual rights that protect humanity as a whole. Unsurprisingly, a notable resistance to surveillance can be seen regularly in media, political circles, and academia (Martin et al, 2009).…”

“…Digital identity and online behaviour are not just interesting for intelligence authorities, but are also crucial for various online platforms (Budak et al, 2017). According to Clarke (2019), contemporary business models rely on collecting and exploiting massive volumes of personal data to provide markets with improved customer experiences, increased convenience, and time-savings through targeted value propositions. However, the ability of large corporations and governments to monitor and store online behaviour data on a massive scale, actually serves to limit the possibilities of individuals from dissenting and protesting, and supports a form of governance that prioritizes certain social, economic, and political agendas at the expense of others (Dencik et al, 2016).…”

“…The "Snowden leaks" in 2013 revealed the unprecedented scope and magnitude of state-corporate surveillance of our everyday digital activities in pursuit of "datafication" of social life (Milanovic, 2015;Dencik et al, 2016;Hintz et al, 2017). Indeed, Clarke (2019) argues that humanity has entered a period of living in a "digital surveillance economy", where the acquisition and exploitation of large volumes of personal data through digital devices are used not only by governments for security purposes, but also by corporations to target advertisements, manipulate consumer behaviour, and maximize revenues from goods and services.…”

Exploring Political Ad Libraries for Online Advertising Transparency: Lessons from Germany and the 2019 European Elections

“…For all types of advertising, the business model is based on continuous data collection of personal information, monitoring of individuals' online behavioral patterns, and pursuit of customer manipulation. This new form of business model is at the core of what has been referred to as the "digital surveillance economy" [19]. Its main innovation relies on targeting users at an unprecedented granular level.…”