Somebody’s Watching You: 2025 Surveillance Reality
Rockwell’s 1984 hit “Somebody’s Watching Me” is now reality: smart devices, ads, and connected cars turn casual talk into data gold. Privacy vs. safety in 2025.
Somebody Watching You
By Elke Porter | WBN Ai | November 1, 2025
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In 1984, Rockwell's paranoid pop anthem "Somebody's Watching Me" warned of unseen eyes tracking every move. Forty-one years later, the song isn't just catchy—it's prophetic. Smart devices, always-on microphones, and algorithmic ad engines have turned casual conversations into marketing gold, eroding privacy under the guise of convenience and safety.
The phenomenon is now routine: mention "luggage" near your phone while discussing airport delays, and within hours, targeted ads for Samsonite suitcases flood your feed. Whisper about Thai curry recipes to a friend, and suddenly Pinterest pins and Allrecipes links dominate your browser. This isn't coincidence—it's surveillance capitalism.
Voice assistants like Alexa, Google Home, and Siri constantly "listen" for wake words, but ambient audio leaks into cloud servers where AI parses context. Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, Apple's Siri suggestions, and Google's Nearby Share all feed behavioural profiles to advertisers. A 2024 Princeton study found 78% of smart speaker users triggered unintended ad targeting after offline conversations.
Governments amplify the trend. Programs phasing out older vehicles cite emissions, yet newer connected cars embed deeper risks. Tesla, GM's OnStar, and Ford's SYNC systems log location, speed, even cabin audio—data accessible to insurers, law enforcement, and hackers. The Mozilla Foundation's 2025 report revealed all 25 reviewed car brands share driver info with third parties, often without explicit consent. A 2024 Chevrolet scandal exposed location data sold to brokers, enabling stalking.
Rental giants like Enterprise now display dashboard warnings: "For your safety, audio and video may be recorded." Ostensibly liability protection, these systems capture conversations, selling insights to marketers or retaining for legal leverage. Hertz and Avis follow suit, normalizing in-car surveillance.
Data is the new oil—McKinsey values the global data economy at $13 trillion by 2030. Tech firms innovate relentlessly: Ring doorbells share footage with police; smart TVs track viewing for Nielsen ratings; even refrigerators suggest groceries via purchase history.
The core conflict: privacy versus safety. Proponents argue connected tech prevents crime (facial recognition solved 2025's LA bombings) and saves lives (automatic crash alerts). Critics counter that mass data collection enables authoritarian control—China's social credit system began with "safety" cameras.
Americans increasingly demand transparency: California's CPRA expansions and Europe's GDPR fines signal pushback. Yet convenience seduces; 62% of Gen Z accept targeted ads for discounts (Pew 2025). Rockwell sang, "I always feel like somebody's watching me." Today, they are—and they're monetizing every word.
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