[4] The primary goal of platforms like Google, Facebook, and Amazon is data collection through the applications and services they provide to consumers, such as wearable technology like FitBit and Apple Watch, as well as home devices like Google Nest and Amazon Alexa.
The purpose of these devices becomes more clear when consumers understand the immense amounts of data that are being exhausted and sold to advertisers and data brokers[5] Some scholars note the resemblance of platforms to sovereign states with their power and populations,[6] as well as their surveillance capabilities.
More recently, data collection has been seen as a trade off, privacy is disregarded and in return, consumers gain access to convenient applications and devices to stay connected.
[13] The mass scale of data collection has created an asymmetrical power dynamic between state and citizens, some scholars say.
This blog is proactive in its belief that publicly funded data should be open and free of charge to be used for positive social change [17] CryptoParties are an example of reactive data politics, which are global events where people share knowledge about how to browse the Internet securely.