“We are increasingly surrounded by an envelope of interacting digital devices – meaning first of all that we are “always on,” always connected (unless we take steps to go offline – steps that are increasingly difficult to accomplish). The ubiquity of our interactive devices means that we are increasingly both the subjects and the objects of what Anders Albrechtslund (2008) has aptly identified as ‘voluntary surveillance’” (Ess, 17).
Because of the ubiquity of our connected devices, we as human beings and private citizens, are always under constant, “voluntary surveillance.” Most of us have opted-in to allowing companies like Google and Facebook to track our smartphones. According to a report by Amnesty International “Google controls 90 percent of search engine usage around the world, while one third of the globe uses a Facebook-owned service every day” (Schiffer) Through these surveillance-based business models, Amnesty International says that Facebook and Google pose a threat to not just privacy but also “freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, and the right to equality and non-discrimination” (amnesty.org) These tech giants provide their services free. Instead, users are paying for these services by being tracked through the web and throughout the physical world. As of right now we have either two choices: be under constant surveillance by these services or give up the benefits of using these services. Neither choice is very appealing.
Having worked in copywriting and using Facebook advertising quite heavily, I know firsthand that paying to target people with advertising isn’t the most difficult thing to do. When creating an advertisement, you have a plethora of options for who you are targeting demographically. Everything from gender, age, sexual preference, career, income, political affiliation, hobbies, etc. Facebook knows everything about you and it’s scary. Sadly, it’s information that we freely give to the service. One thing that stood out to me from Amnesty International’s article is that not only can Facebook tailor ads toward people with certain political ideologies but it can also prey on people struggling with illness, mental health, and addiction.
Works Cited:
Ess, Charles. Digital Media Ethics, 2nd ed., Polity Press, 2014, p. 17.
Schiffer, Zoe. “Facebook and Google surveillance is an ‘assault on privacy’ says Amnesty International.” The Verge. 20 November 2019, https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/20/20974832/facebook-google-surveillance-data-assault-privacy-amnesty-international.
Amnesty International “Facebook and Google’s pervasive surveillance poses an unprecedented danger to human rights.” Amnesty.org. 21 November 2019, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/11/google-facebook-surveillance-privacy/.