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The Erosion of Privacy

/ 8 min read

Table of Contents

In an increasingly interconnected digital landscape, the intersection of big data and state surveillance has created an unprecedented threat to our right to privacy. Behind the convenience of digitization is a complex web of algorithms, enabling not only corporations to manipulate consumer behavior but also governments to track and control citizens under the guise of security. This erosion of privacy is not just a matter of data breaches and unauthorized access; it fundamentally undermines the freedoms that protect democratic societies. In this article, we explore how the growing integration of big data and state surveillance is reshaping the boundaries of privacy and what this means for our rights as individuals.

Key Takeaways

  • Big Data and Privacy Erosion: The vast collection and use of personal data by corporations and governments is undermining privacy, allowing for behavior manipulation and control under the guise of convenience and security.

  • Data Exploitation: Personal information, including social media activity and browsing history, is harvested by corporations like Facebook, often without informed consent, for profit-driven purposes like targeted advertising.

  • State Surveillance: Programs like the NSA’s PRISM, revealed by Edward Snowden, show how governments are collecting vast amounts of data under national security pretenses, eroding individual privacy and civil liberties.

  • Misplaced Security: The notion that privacy must be sacrificed for security is flawed, as true security also requires protecting individual freedoms and rights, not just eliminating external threats.

  • Impact on Democracy: Privacy is essential to personal autonomy, allowing individuals to make independent decisions. Without privacy, people are vulnerable to manipulation, which harms democratic processes and stifles free speech.

  • Data Protection: Individuals should be proactive about managing their privacy—limiting data sharing, reviewing privacy settings, and understanding terms of service to minimize the risk of exploitation and exposure.

  • The Need for Privacy: Protecting privacy is crucial not only for safeguarding personal information but also for maintaining trust in institutions and ensuring the stability of democratic societies. The fight for privacy is integral to preserving freedom.

Big Data: A New Currency

Big data refers to the enormous volume of information—both structured and unstructured—that is generated daily by humans and machines1. This includes your social media activity, browsing patterns, real-time location, and the ongoing collection of private conversations by ‘smart’ devices, all of which are used to extract consumer data2.

In 2018, personal data belonging to millions of Facebook users was sold to the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica3. Without users’ informed consent, their data was used to create extensive psychological profiles and target them with highly tailored political adverts, affecting voter behavior in the 2016 US presidential election in favor of candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.4

Only a year after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook had an immense data breach in which hackers exploited vulnerabilities in the platform’s security to obtain the personal information of over 540 million users5. The exact same user data used to create psychological profiles for targeted advertising and manipulation, was acquired by malicious threat actors, granting them unrestricted access to exploit this information for their own benefit.

As customers continue to blindly trust corporations with sensitive information, those same corporations fail to handle the huge volumes of data they acquire in their pursuit of monetization. Firms such as Facebook emphasize profit before privacy, mishandling massive amounts of customer data. This mismanagement extends beyond basic negligence to how data is utilized to anticipate, influence, and control behavior. The massive quantity of personal information gathered enables complicated algorithms to make choices about us, frequently based on patterns we may not even recognize, giving businesses unparalleled control over our actions and opinions.

State Surveillance

The 2013 Edward Snowden leaks revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) was conducting widespread surveillance on both domestic and international communications, including phone records, emails, and internet activity6. Snowden, a former NSA contractor, disclosed classified information that exposed the agency’s mass data collection programs, such as PRISM, which involved tapping into the servers of major tech companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Facebook, to access users’ private data7.

While these programs were initially guised under the cloak of ‘national security’, they gave governments the ability to monitor and collect data on virtually every aspect of people’s digital lives, allowing them to track movements, associations, and behaviors in ways that had never been done before. Ultimately, what was promoted as a security precaution became an instrument for state control, weakening democratic processes by stifling free speech and political dissent.

But the concept of compromising privacy in exchange for security is fundamentally flawed, as the two are not mutually exclusive. The misconception that abandoning privacy is vital for defending citizens from foreign threats ignores the fact that true security encompasses more than just eliminating external actors; it also includes protecting individuals’ fundamental rights, including their right to privacy. When governments gather massive amounts of personal data under the pretense of security, they not only endanger individual liberties but also create vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malevolent actors. True security is based on trust, and when individuals’ faith in their government and institutions is eroded, it becomes more difficult to maintain a secure and stable society.

The Importance of Privacy

Individuals are becoming more vulnerable to having their personal information exploited to alter their ideas, behavior, or purchase decisions as digital technologies and “big data” advance. Companies and governments can use obtained personal data to target individuals with targeted marketing, political messaging, and propaganda. Privacy protects us against such manipulation, allowing us to make autonomous decisions and create judgments without interference from others who may want to benefit or manipulate us. This autonomy is essential to a functioning democracy because it allows citizens to engage in public debate and make informed decisions without being pressured or manipulated.

Digital privacy is critical in safeguarding customers from negligence and potential exploitation of their personal information by corporations and threat actors alike. As businesses acquire more data, they inevitably extend their attack surface, making this information exposed to breaches and exploitation. When profit is emphasized before privacy, personal data can be potentially exposed, stolen, or sold by hackers who will use the information to their gain.

Privacy plays a critical role in fostering trust between consumers and institutions, as well as between citizens and the state. When individuals believe their personal data is being respected and securely handled, they are more likely to engage with products, services, and institutions. In contrast, a lack of privacy protections erodes trust, leading to skepticism, disengagement, and fear. Privacy ensures a healthy relationship where individuals feel confident that their rights are being respected, creating a stable foundation for both technological innovation and democratic governance. Ultimately, the right to privacy is not just about protecting personal information, but also about preserving the integrity of society as a whole.

Protecting Your Privacy

To preserve your privacy in an era of big data and governmental monitoring, you must understand how personal information is acquired, kept, and used. Begin by thinking carefully about what you post online, and avoid oversharing personal information on social media, websites, and applications. Being cautious about the information you share, as well as understanding when to decline intrusive data requests, may dramatically reduce your risk. Additionally, before connecting with digital platforms, read the privacy rules and terms of service to ensure that you understand how your data is being handled.

Adopt a mindset of data minimization—limit the amount of personal information you store on digital platforms and take steps to delete or anonymize data when possible. Review your privacy settings on online accounts and devices on a regular basis, and be cautious of the rights provided to applications and services. This proactive approach, along with a better grasp of the larger consequences of monitoring and data collecting, may help you take control of your privacy and avoid unwanted exposure.

The Bottom Line

The degradation of privacy in the digital era, caused by big data and governmental monitoring, poses a serious danger to our fundamental rights and liberties. As companies benefit from personal information and governments extend monitoring under the pretense of security, people become more exposed to manipulation, exploitation, and domination. This affects not only faith in institutions, but also democratic norms such as personal liberty and privacy. Protecting privacy is critical—not just for securing personal data, but also for maintaining a society in which individuals can make autonomous decisions without undue influence. By becoming more aware of how our information is gathered and utilized, we may take proactive efforts to defend our privacy and, by extension, the integrity of our democratic processes. The struggle for privacy is about more than simply data security; it’s the very essence of our freedom.

Footnotes:

  1. Chen, M. (2024, September 23). Big Data, big possibilities: How to extract maximum value. Oracle. https://www.oracle.com/big-data/what-is-big-data/

  2. ibid.

  3. Confessore, N. (2018, April 4). Cambridge Analytica and Facebook: The scandal and the fallout so far. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-scandal-fallout.html

  4. Chan, R. (2019, October 5). The Cambridge analytica whistleblower explains how the firm used Facebook data to sway elections. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/cambridge-analytica-whistleblower-christopher-wylie-facebook-data-2019-10

  5. Newman, L. H. (2021, April 6). What really caused Facebook’s 500m-user data leak? Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-data-leak-500-million-users-phone-numbers/

  6. BBC. (2014, January 17). Edward Snowden: Leaks that exposed US spy programme. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23123964

  7. Johnson, K., Martin, S., O’Donnell, J., & Winter, M. (2013, June 7). NSA TAPS data from 9 major net firms. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/06/06/nsa-surveillance-internet-companies/2398345/