Are we really safer, or are we just being watched more than ever?
From smart cameras on the street to apps and browsers that track our data without borders, invisible systems are constantly monitoring our movements, messages, and choices. We hear about them in the language of “security”: safer cities, safer borders, safer kids, and safer payments.
The real danger is that this constant watching becomes normal, and our freedom goes away without us even noticing.
Safety, control, and the slow loss of freedom
We often say to ourselves, “I have nothing to hide.” But that was never the point.
The more important question is
Who controls the cameras and data, and what can they do with that power?
These systems can be used to stop crime or observe strange behavior today. The same infrastructure could be used tomorrow to:
-
Profile citizens and employees
-
Score or rank people silently
-
Target specific groups for additional scrutiny
-
Punish behavior that was never clearly communicated as “wrong.”
Once the technical base for mass monitoring is set up, it doesn’t go away very often. It just waits for a new policy, a new leader, or a new problem.
That’s why safety without freedom isn’t really safety. It is control dressed up as safety.
Life in 2035 and 2055: the digital bubble version of “safety”
By 2035 and 2055, the balance between safety, control, and freedom will define what it means to live inside the digital bubble.
In a world of:
-
AI systems scan faces, voices, and behaviors in real time.
-
Data flows that cross borders faster than any law can follow
-
Platforms that can silently decide who’s voice is amplified and who’s buried
The main question is no longer just what technology can do, but
What limits are we willing to ask for and fight for?
If we don’t have those limits, we could end up in a society that looks organized and efficient from the outside but makes people feel watched, managed, and quietly limited on the inside.
This video is part of a series based on my book Life in the Digital Bubble. It looks at how AI, automation, immersive technology, and social media will change our daily lives over the next 30 years and how we can protect our rights and our humanity.
I’m not concerned about predicting every little thing that will happen in the future. I care more about one thing:
How can we stay free and human in systems that can see and remember almost everything?
Digital privacy, surveillance, and civil liberties are no longer just things that lawyers and activists talk about. They have an impact on leaders, workers, and families in every field.
If you are keen to explore how AI, surveillance, and automation are reshaping our lives, you can:
-
Read more in my AI, Ethics & Society resources, where I cover topics like digital literacy, and AI risks: https://tamerbadawy.com/resources/ai-ethics-society/
-
Dive into the full framework in my book Life in the Digital Bubble, which looks at how technology will shape life through 2035 and 2055 and how we can prepare instead of panic.