Surveillance Capitalism and Google Data Collection

THE PROLIFERATION OF personal computing devices—coupled with advances in network bandwidth, geolocation, “big data” analytics, and targeted advertising—has led to the rise of “surveillance capitalism,” where large high-tech companies monetize personal data they collect by monitoring the online behavior and physical movement of their users around the world. The term “surveillance capitalism” was popularized by Shoshana Zuboff in the mid-2010s. Surveillance capitalism constitutes practices conducted by large high-tech companies to monitor, predict, and control the behavior of consumers who use their products and platforms, either directly or indirectly.

Awareness of how personal data is collected by large high-tech companies is intensifying, with many people beginning to realize who is invested in knowing their online behaviors. For example, Facebook's enabling of data collection by Cambridge Analytica and the effect on the 2016 elections changed the conversation in the United States of America. Many people were rightly surprised by that vast collection and non-transparent use of their personal data, as well as the ways this information can be used to monitor, predict, and control many aspects of their lives.

Earlier means of monitoring, predicting, and controlling people relied on fear and shame to maintain order in society and ensure conformity with the interests of those in power. A classic example is the totalitarian regime represented by “Big Brother” in Orwell's dystopian novel 1984. In contrast, surveillance capitalism is based on a more subtle—and ultimately more pernicious—form of monitoring, predicting, and controlling what Zuboff calls “Big Other,” which are digital networks trained to monitor and shape users’ actions remotely based on machine learning technologies that are regulated by neither national nor international laws.

At the forefront of today's surveillance capitalism practices is the world's largest digital advertising company, Google. Included among its products and platforms are the most popular web browser, mobile platform, and search engine—Chrome, Android, and Google Search, respectively—in the world. Google's video platform (YouTube), email service (Gmail), and map application (Google Maps) each have over 1 billion monthly active users. The tremendous popularity and reach of Google's products enable it to collect detailed information about user online behaviors and physical movements that it then applies to target users with paid advertising. Google's revenues increase significantly as it refines its targeting technology and data collection methods.