Under the control of our technological masters

We live in an age where silence itself speaks, where even the absence of words becomes a record in some digital archive.

- By NARAYANAN KIZHUMUNDAYUR

Privacy, once taken for granted as a natural right, is no longer our default state of existence. Every click of a mouse, every tap of a finger, every swipe on a glowing screen, every photo uploaded, and even every casual conversation near a “smart” device leaves behind invisible traces — footprints we neither see nor fully understand. These traces do not vanish with time; they are stored, analysed, and sold.

The modern world — woven together by satellites, data servers, cloud storage, and artificial intelligence — presents itself as a miracle for convenience and connection. But behind this glittering façade lies a quieter and more unsettling reality: a system known as surveillance capitalism, where human lives are turned into data, and data is turned into profit. In earlier times, privacy was sacred. The home was a sanctuary where the outside world could not intrude. Personal diaries, conversations between friends, or one's innermost thoughts, were shielded by walls of trust and solitude. Privacy was seen as a pillar of human dignity and autonomy.

But today, the digital revolution has reshaped those boundaries. Our shopping choices, travel routes, daily schedules, moods, sleeping habits, friendships, political leanings — even the times when we remain silent — are continuously monitored. What was once private is now public property in disguise, analysed by algorithms designed not only to know us but also to influence us. We are not simply users of technology anymore — we have become its raw material. Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff gave a name to the phenomenon: surveillance capitalism.