State Of The Internet/Surveillance Economy

Problem Statement

We have little real choice in our digital lives other than to acquiesce to systematic data collection and surveillance by corporations.* Digital experiences are optimized to extract as much data about ourselves, our environment, and our behavior as possible, while providing us with almost no opportunity to understand what data is being collected, who has access to this data, and how it’s being used to shape our behavior and opportunities. The surveillance economy gives the watchers “unprecedented ... power… distinguished by extreme concentrations of knowledge and no democratic oversight.” (Shoshana Zuboff). Yet these watchers are also sloppy and negligent, permitting their systems to be breached and gamed in ways that cause enormous harm to people, businesses, and society.

How can we find a path forward that takes advantage of the remarkable new insights ‘big data’ can bring while protecting individuals as well as the public?

• although corporate and government surveillance are intertwined, for this project we look only at the corporate aspect and its impact on users.

Inputs

We began our research by interviewing over 45 community members, employees, and external experts (including several Mozilla Fellows!) to hear their insights on where and how Mozilla might have the most impact in trying to change the surveillance economy. We also put out a call for ideas within Mozilla, and pulled in comments and thoughts shared by employees and community members through employee workshops and MozFest.

Working with some of these findings, we created three design provocations and shared them with Mozilla community members and employees for voting and feedback. These crazy departures and directions gave us more insight into what resonated most, and brought in new thinking too.

The final suggested Explorations will be presented and discussed at Mozilla's ALl Hands in Berlin on January 28th, 2020. At this event, employees can indicate which they find most compelling and if they'd be interested in working on any aspects. We expect to revise the Explorations based on the conversations and builds from this event, and then share next steps with our communities.

Further Reading

• Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (book) + our IRL podcast.
• Kashmir Hill, ”I Got Access to My Secret Consumer Score. Now You Can Get Yours Too” (paywall)
• Mitchell Baker’s interview with Cheddar about rebuilding consumer trust in the internet