We’ve seen this story
After all, since then we’ve seen the likes of Cambridge Analytica and the evolution of digital state surveillance (and state-adjacent surveillance “businesses” such as NSO). We’ve also seen the dubious rise of data brokers, creepy “personalized” ads that seem to follow private conversations around, and all the other parasites that breed in the murk when privacy is diluted.
None of these things is good. More people than ever now seem to understand that when privacy is removed, bad things happen — no matter what herds of fully paid-up lobbyists try to make people believe. Privacy erosion seems to be a great deal for ultra-wealthy corporations seeking to turn our lives into their profit. It is not such a great deal for the rest of us.
The next privacy frontier: Your face
This growing awareness matters as we prep for the next big thing in disruptive technology: AI-equipped wearable devices capable of contextual understanding and analysis of surroundings. These smart, sensor-packed devices will pick up so much information about us, from health biometrics to direction, even insight into what we look at, how long, and what that gazing does to our heart rate. (Think of how useful the latter data point might become for divorce lawyers and blackmail.)