Of the more than eight billion people who currently live in the world, it has been estimated that approximately five billion people use social media. Sharing has become practically second nature, where people snap photos, tag friends, and drop comments on a daily basis.
But behind every like and scroll lies a vast, invisible machinery quietly watching, recording, and profiting from your digital life. Social media was once celebrated as a tool for connection and expression, but it has since evolved into one of the most powerful engines of surveillance in human history.
From tracking your location and scanning your private messages, to building hidden profiles on people who’ve never signed up, platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and others are harvesting data on a scale most users barely understand.
So, what does this entail? And what can you actually do about it? Click through this gallery to find out.