Privacy is Dead: How to "Survive" in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism

If you work on the internet, you have likely seen at least one VPN advertisement. All these ads tell you the same story: your privacy is not safe without hiding your IP address, and they are the ones who can protect it.

The ad above successfully manufactures anxiety for viewers. I’m sure many people will purchase the service to hide their OnlyFans subscriptions from someone—like the Mom in the video.

But the question is: Does it really work?

The “Magic” of VPNs

VPN companies aren’t exactly lying; they’re just playing word games. Theoretically, a VPN does provide two layers of protection:

1. Encrypted Tunnel: It establishes an encrypted channel between you and the VPN server. This means your ISP (Internet Service Provider) or that hacker at the coffee shop trying to snoop on you can’t see what you’re transmitting—they just see a stream of gibberish flowing to a server.
2. IP Masking: The target website sees the request coming from the VPN server, not your real IP address. It’s like sending a letter with the return address of a post office box instead of your home.

Sounds perfect, right? That is the theoretical basis for their claims of “security” and “privacy.”

Unfortunately, against modern internet giants, this defense is like trying to stop a tsunami with an umbrella.

Trying to go invisible online by just using a VPN is like wearing a mask while streaking—sure, people can’t see your face, but they can still identify you pretty clearly.

Zuckerberg’s Smile

Back in 2018, when Mark Zuckerberg answered the question “what information Facebook collects from its users,” I imagine his inner monologue was something like: *“Are you fools? Everything. Of course, everything.”

“Are you stupid or crazy? We collect everything. Yes, I know you visited that site with the black and yellow logo.”

Even if the VPN service doesn’t log your IP (which I never fully believe), the data center might, or the ISP might.

More importantly, your IP address is just the most insignificant part of your digital identity.

How Are You Being “Stripped Naked”?

Why is privacy dead? Because in this day and age, tracking technology has evolved to a terrifying degree.

1. Browser Fingerprinting

Think you’re safe because you disabled cookies and opened Incognito Mode? That’s cute.

Modern tracking technology reads your browser version, screen resolution, installed fonts, and even minute differences in how your graphics card renders images or your battery level. Combine these data points, and you get a unique “fingerprint.”

Even if you change your IP, as long as your fingerprint matches, advertisers still know: *“Oh, it’s that guy who likes watching cat videos at 2 AM again.”

2. Surveillance Capitalism

Why is everyone talking about privacy? Because privacy is a great wall in the 21st-century business world, and also the biggest gold mine.

Companies need this data to build a “profile” of you. They know you better than you know yourself: when you’re anxious (perfect for selling supplements), or when you’ve just gone through a breakup (perfect for dating apps).

This isn’t just about “selling products”; it’s about “predicting and intervening in your behavior.”

What Can We Do?

Don’t panic—panic is just a sales tactic for VPNs. It’s true that no one has absolute privacy on the internet, but that doesn’t mean we should give up completely.

We can’t be invisible, but we can wear a bulletproof vest. Here are some effective “digital hygiene” tips:

1. Distinguish “Security” from “Privacy”

First, get this straight:

• Security prevents hackers from stealing your accounts and money.
• Privacy prevents big corporations and institutions from spying on your life.

Big tech companies (like Google and Apple) usually have excellent security, but their stances on privacy are worlds apart. Apple makes money selling hardware, so they are incentivized to protect privacy. Google and Facebook make money selling ads, so… well, you know. “If you are not paying for the product, you are the product.”

2. Essential Basics

• Use HTTPS: The HTTPS protocol encrypts data transmission between you and the server. This means even if someone captures the packets (which is likely on public WiFi), they can’t easily decrypt them. Modern browsers will warn you if a site isn’t HTTPS—listen to them and run.

• Password Managers & 2FA: Stop using “123456” or your birthday as a password. And stop recycling the same password everywhere. Get a password manager (like Bitwarden or 1Password). More importantly, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). This is more effective than any complex password.

3. Advanced Privacy Measures

• Ad Blockers: Install uBlock Origin. It’s not just about blocking annoying pop-ups; it blocks the tracking scripts running in the background. This is currently the most cost-effective privacy protection measure available.

• Select Open Source Software: Open-source software means the code is public. While not a guarantee of absolute security, it’s less likely to hide a backdoor that “sends user data to the boss.” Firefox and Brave are browser choices that respect your privacy more than Chrome.

Conclusion

Privacy isn’t an on/off switch; it’s a spectrum.

You don’t need to live like Edward Snowden (unless you actually are Snowden), but you shouldn’t walk around with your house keys hanging around your neck just for convenience.

In this age where our data is laid bare, maintaining a little bit of opacity is our last stand for dignity.