surveillance capitalism

noun

An economic system based on the commodification of individuals' personal data for profit.

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Meanings

nounsurveillance capitalism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAn economic system based on the commodification of individuals' personal data for profit.

    If you think that not posting these two photos does anything to surveillance capitalism or the platforms that succeed through it, that’s just not right.

    2019 January 16, Alexis C. Madrigal, “Go Ahead, Post the Stupid Photo of Yourself From 10 Years Ago”, in The Atlantic
    1 more example

    That’s one way to understand Apple’s empty message about privacy. Tim Cook talks a big game, but at the end of the day, his company is allowing the surveillance-capitalism atrocities it claims to oppose.

    2019 January 31, Ian Bogost, “Apple’s Empty Grandstanding About Privacy”, in The Atlantic

Origin

Coined by Shoshana Zuboff.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

surveillance capitalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surveillance%20capitalism

MLA

“surveillance capitalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surveillance%20capitalism. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “surveillance capitalism,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/surveillance%20capitalism.

Source: surveillance capitalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.