The Rise of Manipulative Surveillance

Table of Links

1 Introduction

2 The new Empire of Surveillance Capitalism

3 Target Advertisement

4 Military technology and Politics

5 Focus on Ethical Frameworks

5.1 Utilitarian Framework

5.2 Deontology Framework

5.3 Direct comparison between Utilitarianism and Deontology

6 Conclusions, Acknowledgements, and References

3 Target Advertisement

The way of performing advertising today has changed a lot over time. New technological instruments, such as social networks in particular, have led to a disclosure of personal data, whether sometimes intentionally performed by users, and most times unintentional, that brought a completely new way of making advertising. Targeted advertising has become a widespread marketing strategy, utilizing data-driven methods to identify potential customers with specific interests, behaviors, and characteristics. The aim is to deliver personalized advertising messages to the right audience, at the right time and place. It is important to notice that in this scenario companies and agencies are only interested in maximizing their business as much as possible. Their primary and only goal is to refine their marketing strategies and increase consumption from users. Typically, when the individual sets up their own profile on a social network, the provided information is collected, stored, and then used by promoters for easier reach to more specialized groups of the targeted audience. Consumer behavior and habits are so interesting for companies’ businesses that they are still active in paying a huge amount of money for applications that generate databases to store such personal data, despite some rules that have been defined in order to guarantee the avoidance of exploiting data [4].

According to various research works and general common sense, it can be noticed how the targeted advertisement can be perceived in a different way according to the specific user. Target advertising can provide a better user experience by delivering more relevant and useful information to customers. For example, if someone is looking for a specific product or service, they are more likely to appreciate advertisements that are related to their search query. Moreover, targeted advertising can also lead to the discovery of new products and services that customers may not have been aware of otherwise, potentially resulting in positive outcomes for both customers and businesses. Hence, targeted advertising mainly allows companies to allocate their resources more efficiently by focusing on the most promising customers rather than wasting resources on those who are less likely to be interested. On the other hand, by analyzing data on people’s interests, preferences, and behaviors, companies can influence customer decisions and actions, potentially leading to exploitation or manipulation. This can be especially concerning in situations where vulnerable individuals or groups are targeted, such as children or those with addiction or mental health issues. Indeed, while some people can find amusement, pleasure, and appeal in finding ads that are more connected to their interests, other people can perceive this intrusion as both an annoying phenomenon and a violation of personal privacy [5, 7].

Nowadays, research works have great expectations and focus a lot on the possibility to anonymize complete data that are taken to do business, but, at least today, this is often not possible [6]. In target advertisement, as it is performed nowadays, different criteria that require data taken from the user are necessary. This point does not regard only the explicit ratings given to a product, but also the number of times a website is accessed, whether an advertisement is opened or not, the clicking on a link, the connections between different items of interest, the specific times of the day in which the user typically access and so on. The list of significant factors in advertising campaigns is very long and it finds its core point and strength in social media [7]. One of the primary concerns associated with targeted advertising is privacy. The collection and use of personal data, such as browsing history, search queries, and location, can lead to privacy violations and potentially harmful consequences. For example, data breaches can result in identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes. Moreover, targeted advertising can also lead to the creation of echo chambers, where people only see information that reinforces their existing beliefs and biases, potentially leading to social and political polarization.

4 Military technology and Politics

The type of targeting described in section 3 does not have only an economic surveillance effect, but also a great impact on the phenomenon of psychological surveillance, in the sense that technological means are used to enforce manipulation and access to personal and critical information. In this section, the focus is on the political and social order scenario. A main critical aspect, under the perspective of freedom and psychological imposition, is the fact that people are obliged to allow complete access to their data in order to gain access to necessary services. Apparently, they have the choice to deny permissions, but, in practice, they have not, because the majority of services require consent to complete access to data and this implies that denying permissions forbids the user to adopt both a specific necessary service and all the similar services that could substitute it [14, 19]. The lack of freedom is not shown only in such a mechanism, but also in other cases, related to the political and social context.

A practical example is related to video surveillance modules based on appearance-based person detection. Here, data are manipulated and processed to get features like skin detection. The use of these instruments can have very negative effects in contexts like totalitarian regimes, as they increase the oppressing power of the government and its ferocious control grip over both the mass and the opponents to the regime [8]. Surveillance technology has transformed the way military organizations operate, providing new capabilities for intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and situational awareness. Drones, satellites, and other remote sensing technologies have enabled military organizations to monitor large areas and gather intelligence without putting troops in harm’s way. This has been particularly valuable in areas with hostile terrain or where it is difficult to gather intelligence using traditional methods. However, the use of surveillance technology in the military also raises concerns about privacy and ethical implications. The use of unmanned drones, for example, has been controversial due to the potential for civilian casualties and the lack of accountability for remote operators. Moreover, the use of surveillance technology in conflict zones can infringe on individuals’ privacy rights and lead to human rights violations.

As another example, considering now democratic countries, the improper use of Surveillance Capitalism instruments in the government field can be found in the field of elections and votes. Surveillance technology has also become an increasingly common tool in the political field, where it is used to monitor individuals and groups for a variety of purposes. Governments can use surveillance technology to monitor and track dissenting voices, both domestically and abroad, potentially leading to violations of human rights and civil liberties. This can have a chilling effect on freedom of speech and the ability of individuals to express their opinions without fear of retribution. Moreover, the use of surveillance technology in political campaigns has raised concerns about the manipulation of public opinion. Data collected from social media, for example, can be used to create detailed profiles of individuals and target them with personalized messages, potentially leading to manipulation and exploitation. This can undermine the democratic process by creating an uneven playing field and giving certain candidates or parties an unfair advantage. In fact, audiences in the political sphere can be influenced and forced into decisions that can lead to contradictions with people’s actual ideas. Obviously, persuasion and manipulation have always been part of the political and marketing worlds, but in this new Surveillance Capitalism, the effectiveness of this phenomenon is amplified. All choices can be manipulated by the external environment, as a psychological mechanism; the decision-making process is a complex procedure in which Surveillance Capitalism gains a great influence. In this scenario, personalized and targeted messages, but also fake news produced ad hoc by opponents, can undermine voter autonomy and change the course of history [9, 10].

On the whole, it must be noticed that the first and primary reason for which many countries invested so much in this intrusion into private life was to face the threat of cyber war that is directed at both entire military and financial systems. The most representative example is the one connected to terrorist attacks and the strong intention to prevent them and stem them. This goal is only reachable by increasing security control, so from this point of view, an intrusion into the ideals of people is very effective, even if not morally correct, to sooner discover eventual threats [10]. The same reasoning can be applied to the whole financial system, as attacks directed to this field are able to seriously persuade the majority of people, for example, losing all their assets and leading to a deep and spread crisis. Surveillance technology has had a significant impact on military and political fields, providing new capabilities for intelligence gathering and decision-making. However, it also raises concerns about privacy, ethics, and the potential for abuse. It is important for policymakers and regulators to develop clear guidelines and regulations to ensure that the use of surveillance technology is transparent, and accountable, and respects individuals’ rights and liberties. Moreover, individuals need to be aware of the potential risks and take steps to protect their privacy and security in an increasingly surveilled world.