Taylor Lorenz’s Power User How Companies Learned Everything About Us
Jul 28, 2025
Dive into the shadowy world of data brokers and surveillance capitalism. Discover how this industry evolved from early government tracking to today's invasive digital monitoring. Learn how corporations can predict personal events before you do, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding data collection. Explore the rise of targeted advertising and its privacy implications amidst growing concerns. Uncover the consequences of aggressive data harvesting practices and the increasing power of ad tech firms. This journey reveals how our lives are intricately profiled without our consent.
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Invisible Data Shaping Our Lives
- Your entire life is shaped by data you never consented to share or see.
- Data brokers build profiles influencing loans, jobs, ads, and everyday experiences invisibly.
SSN as a Surveillance Tool
- The Social Security Number began as a retirement benefit ID but became a universal tracking tool.
- It linked diverse records, creating centralized surveillance and mandatory system participation.
Credit Scores Enshrine Bias and Control
- Credit agencies built subjective, biased profiles using dubious factors like race.
- Digitized credit scores enabled fast decisions but perpetuated invisible, lifelong scrutiny.