CONCEPTUAL

This project related with online surveillance and surveillance capitalism. While most of us are regarding using The Internet are our basic human right, we neglect the system behind eg. how our data may be collected and used, or if there are any laws that protect our information. Google collects and sells our searching data to generate advertisements that suits our interest. On one hand, it seems very good to have this custom-made surface and benefit our online experience. Not to mention we seldom pay a lot attention to those ads. It does not really affect our life.

On the other hand, the corporations are making money out of our personal data which we did not authorize them to sell or use it. There are also possibilities that our data will be used in our real life experience, like drive behavior or billboards on street changes according to passengers’ online data. All those profits will then go into the hands of large enterprise. This online surveillance issue and capitalism should gain more public attention and discussion on how to protect our rights on our own data.

Our chrome extension will block the ads and disclose what data of users had be collected and used. By revealing this ads system behind, we hopes raise their interest and knowledge in this issue.

Reference

The Secrets of Surveillance Capitalism

by Shoshanza Zuboff

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/the-digital-debate/shoshana-zuboff-secrets-of-surveillance-capitalism-14103616-p2.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_3