In today's digital era, mass surveillance has become pervasive and ubiquitous. Our smartphones, computers, appliances, vehicles and even public spaces are embedded with cameras, sensors and software constantly collecting information on us. This vast trove of data is fed into advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems to analyze and profile human behavior on an unprecedented scale. While governments and corporations argue mass surveillance is necessary to provide services, target advertising and identify threats, it poses grave threats to privacy, democracy and freedom that must be addressed.
The sheer volume of data we generate and have collected on us has exploded exponentially in recent years. It is estimated that humanity created 2.5 quintillion bytes of data daily in 2020 - that's 2.5 followed by 17 zeros! Between surveillance cameras, online activity trackers, location data from smartphones and more, the average American is captured over 200 times a day in the growing web of surveillance networks. Even more disturbing, it is forecast that there will be over 55 billion surveillance cameras globally by 2025, or nearly 7 cameras per person worldwide.
All this personally identifiable data and sensory information reveals intimate details extending far beyond any notions of individual privacy. Our social circles, conversations, political and religious beliefs, financial information, biometric data, precise geolocation, sexual orientation, health conditions, online habits and even facial expressions and emotions can be extracted from this vast ocean of Big Data. Every aspect of our lives is transparent to the data gathering algorithms passively recording our lives.
At the heart of the mass surveillance infrastructure is the use of increasingly sophisticated AI to collect, process and analyze the massive streams of data from the growing Internet of Things. Machine learning algorithms parse through the raw data to identify patterns, make correlations and categorize individuals. This facilitates mass profiling based on race, gender, political beliefs, personality traits, consumption habits and more. Corporations use these psychographic profiles for precisely targeted advertising, while governments can identify dissenters and control populations by exploiting personal information.
China presents the most dystopian example of an authoritarian technocracy created by unchecked mass surveillance creep. The expansion of millions of CCTV cameras equipped with facial recognition across the country combined with tracking of social media posts, text messages and other digital data has enabled unprecedented government control. This repressive surveillance apparatus is most evident in the shocking human rights crisis of over 1 million Uighur Muslims detained in “re-education” camps in Xinjiang. Their contacts, communications, biometrics and movements are closely tracked by AI systems labeling them as extremists for indefinite internment based on absurd metrics like growing a beard or contacting someone abroad.
But we do not have to look to totalitarian regimes to find alarming cases of mass surveillance overreach. Even in Western democracies like the US and UK, post 9/11 powers have enabled intelligence agencies to build up capacities to monitor entire populations. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations uncovered secret programs like PRISM that allowed bulk collection of Internet traffic and phone records of millions of Americans without warrants. Local law enforcement has also acquired military grade surveillance gear that is weaponized against minority communities. Everything from IMSI catchers that spoof cell towers to camera-equipped drones and Automatic License Plate Readers create oppressive surveillance networks.
The inherently disproportionate impact of dragnet surveillance on marginalized groups combined with lack of oversight creates a dangerous slippery slope. Without transparency and public consent, mass surveillance could easily transition liberal democracies into illiberal technocracies where dissent is chilled by the watchful eye of the state. Facial recognition has shown higher error rates for women and darker skinned individuals, leading to wrongful arrests and racial profiling. The line between national security and authoritarian social control can be precariously thin.
Mass surveillance may also undermine the very fabric of trust and social cohesion essential for functioning liberal democracies. Anthropologist David Graeber suggests pervasive monitoring leads to “social collapse”, as communities disintegrate when members are unsure of who might be spying on them. Sociologists have found intensive surveillance can create a climate of fear, encourage conformity and stifle civic participation and activism. When citizens are insecure and unsure of the consequences of expressing their beliefs, freedom itself is threatened.
The battle for privacy in the 21st century will be fought over emerging technologies exploiting data gathered through mass surveillance infrastructures. The Internet of Things is slated to grow into a trillion dollar industry of 50 billion smart, interconnected devices by 2020. As ordinary objects like kitchen appliances, light bulbs, toys and clothing become embedded with ubiquitous computing, they exponentially expand opportunities for corporations and states to harvest data. The rollout of 5G networks will link smart cities where autonomous vehicles, public infrastructure, facial recognition security cameras and other urban systems are interwoven for maximum efficiency, resilience and control. The convergence of AI, 5G and IoT networks risks bringing the surveillance society to fruition where daily existence is mediated through technology optimized for control rather than freedom.
While governments and technology leaders emphasize the upsides of smart cities improving services and quality of life, the downsides of automated social engineering are hidden. Their visions entail citizens seamlessly interacting with algorithms optimizing all aspects of city life. But handing control over the vital functions of urban life to unaccountable tech companies risks a dystopian technocracy ruled by the programmers and corporate executives designing the algorithmic systems. Without oversight and transparency citizens could be reduced to data points monitored by autonomous infrastructure designed for maximum efficiency, order and controllability rather than human flourishing.
Surveillance has shifted from a scarce resource for targeted investigation of crimes to an unlimited commodity availably for continuous tracking, analysis and persuasion. Yet people often feel powerless against the faceless systems passively monitoring them while going about their daily lives. Effectively resisting mass surveillance requires raising public awareness of its dangers so citizens can pressure leaders and policymakers to enact reforms limiting data collection. Mass surveillance should be recognized as an existential threat to pluralism and democratic societies. If we become passive consumers under constant behavioral manipulation, we lose our agency and capacity to shape our collective destiny. The alternative is persisting to create communities fostering autonomy and creativity.
Though the technological capacity for mass surveillance has grown immensely, people retain the ability to deliberately shape alternatives centered on human dignity and freedom. Responsible innovation and technology can be tools to expand human capabilities rather than restrict them. Creating decentralized networks, using privacy preserving technologies like encryption and pseudonymity, opting out of data harvesting devices, and enacting regulations to protect privacy are all methods for individuals to undermine mass surveillance. Participatory politics and social movements resisting authoritarian power are needed to realign technology as a liberating rather than oppressing force. In the perilous journey ahead, our fate shall be determined by the choices we make and the values we embrace.