Marta Peirano: The surveillance device you carry around all day

The surveillance device you carry around all day

"Why would anyone be watching me? I'm nobody." If this is your contribution to conversations about mass surveillance, tech journalist Marta Peirano would like a word with you. Wielding cautionary tales about contemporary data collection that make the Stasi seem quaint, Peirano explains how the data that our phones and algorithms automatically collect about us is ripe for misuse and exploitation by the next authoritarian regime. (In Spanish with English subtitles)

Everyday devices silently create detailed records of people’s movements, habits, and relationships, far beyond what secretive agencies ever managed. In one case, six months of phone data revealed not just locations but sleeping, eating, and even the content of messages. This invisible surveillance happens automatically, driven by algorithms and data-hungry companies, not shadowy spies. The existence of such vast personal data makes everyone vulnerable, regardless of importance or intent.