An Explorative Research on the Impact of Mass Surveillance on Privacy Rights in the Digital Age

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_30How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Mass Surveillance; Privacy Rights; Digital Age; technological development

Abstract

In the modern age of rapid technological development, mass surveillance has become one of the prominent threats to the right to privacy, which is a cornerstone of human rights. Governments and corporations are increasingly using sophisticated surveillance technologies like facial recognition, data mining and internet monitoring to monitor an individual’s activities. Although these measures are generally defended in the name of national security, societal security, or crime prevention, they trigger serious fears about the compromising of privacy, freedom of expression and freedom of the individual.

This paper analyzes the impact of mass surveillance on the privacy rights in this digital era, and brings out a serious concern of security v/s human rights. It traces legal and ethical issues with surveillance programs put in place by governments, through which they violate constitutional protections and global human rights standards. By citing case studies in which surveillance was used in ways that were not intended as intended, including programs revealed by whistleblowers, including Edward Snowden, the paper aims to show the threats to citizens’ rights.

It also touches on how private corporations also propagate the problem, helping to facilitate widespread surveillance through the harvesting and misappropriation of user data. Cathy O’Neil introduced the concept of ‘data capitalism,’ where data are snarled up to be purchased or traded by companies for profits, often without informed consent, which violates one of the many principles of transparency and informed choice. It also examines the risks presented by the unregulated growth of artificial intelligence and its incorporation into surveillance systems, heightening fears of abuse and discrimination.

The paper calls for stricter regulation, more accountability, and more adoption of privacy-preserving technology to balance surveillance and human rights.” These findings encourage a worldwide conversation about the responsible use of surveillance technology and the formulation of policies that place a premium on the dignity and freedoms of humans in a rapidly digitizing world.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Archana Sharma
AU  - Sushree Devashrita
AU  - Rambal Rathore
AU  - Robin Raj
AU  - Dakshver Singhal
AU  - Rajasvi Gaur
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/06/14
TI  - An Explorative Research on the Impact of Mass Surveillance on Privacy Rights in the Digital Age
BT  - Proceedings of Innovative Multidisciplinary Approaches to Global Challenges: Sustainability, Equity, and Ethics in an Interconnected World (IMASEE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 643
EP  - 653
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_30
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_30
ID  - Sharma2025
ER  -