We all know they’re watching us. But we don’t know who they are, nor why nor how they are doing it.
Nobody does anything without reason. So, organizations watch and track us for a purpose. That purpose is always for their benefit, not ours. But who are they? Why and how do they do it, and how many organizations do it? It may appear as if it is just an assault on our privacy, but it’s wider than that – the collected information is a powerful tool for further data theft, for targeting critical industries, and for disrupting governments.
Law enforcement does it in case we have criminal tendencies. Criminals do it in case we have something they can take from us. Intelligence agencies do it in case we have secrets that could be used for their own national benefit. And companies do it to see which products may attract us into purchase.
All of it affects our privacy, some of it could affect our employment, some of it could affect our bank balance, some could affect our freedom, and some could affect our national interest. In all cases the perpetrators claim they are justified in doing so; and all forms of surveillance are now being supercharged by AI. Our only defenses are regulations and our own awareness.
