Economic Injustice, Social Conflict, and Surveillance Capitalism: An Exploratory Study of Pakistan

Abstract

A relatively new, precipitously accelerating version of capitalism based on data aggregation has challenged human autonomy and democratic sovereignty. Data is taken from users through surveillance, aggregated into predictive models sold to businesses/governments for profit. This has turned ‘Data’ into the new ‘Currency’. Capital generated through surveillance is just the beginning of the problem. With the surveillance capitalists holding the economic power, and pulling the strings, it has and is leading to economic, and social inequality as well as hampering the electoral system in many countries. The paper draws on Zuboff (2019) work on surveillance capitalism and explores this phenomenon in Pakistan. In situating surveillance capitalism practices as a threat to economic, and social justice, the paper highlights the need for more explicit data protection laws in the country. The danger of surveillance capitalism, the inequalities generated from it, leading to conflict in the society are also discussed.