Privacy in the Age of Platform Capitalism: What Is at Stake for Individuals, Groups, and Democracy?

Summary

This article traces the shifting meaning of privacy in the context of platform capitalism. As smartphones, wearables, and AI-driven platforms spread globally, privacy violations have become systemic rather than exceptional, exposing drastic power asymmetries that go beyond the classical citizen–state relation but extend toward users and corporations. Traditional notions of privacy as functional to individual autonomy are increasingly untenable, as opting out of data collection in the 21st century equates to opting out of public life itself. Rather than signaling privacy’s oblivion, this pervasive surveillance highlights privacy’s overlooked sociopolitical relevance. The article traces this shift across three levels: (a) privacy and individuals, reinterpreting the “right to be let alone” under structural coercion; (b) privacy and groups, addressing collective vulnerabilities under platform-driven data exploitation; and (c) privacy and democracy, analyzing how privacy protections intersect with democratic participation under monopolized digital infrastructures. By scrutinizing these dimensions, the article outlines tensions and rethinks privacy’s role in data-driven societies, while offering a comprehensive overview of traditional and emerging perspectives on privacy.