An Empirical Inquiry into Surveillance Capitalism: Web Tracking

TL;DR

This paper empirically examines web tracking practices of major tech companies, revealing patterns, stratification, and evolution in surveillance techniques, and discusses social costs and alternatives to challenge Surveillance Capitalism.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive empirical analysis of surveillance practices across GAFAM companies and their relation to financial performance, highlighting evolving tracking methods.

Findings

Google has a dominant presence in web tracking.

GAFAM companies show a three-tier stratification in surveillance.

Tracking techniques are evolving to evade detection.

Abstract

The modern web is increasingly characterized by the pervasiveness of Surveillance Capitalism. This investigation employs an empirical approach to examine this phenomenon through the web tracking practices of major tech companies -- specifically Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft (GAFAM) -- and their relation to financial performance indicators. Using longitudinal data from WhoTracks.Me spanning from 2017 to 2025 and publicly accessible SEC filings, this paper analyzes patterns and trends in web tracking data to establish empirical evidence of Surveillance Capitalism's extraction mechanisms. Our findings reveal Google's omnipresent position on the web, a three-tier stratification among GAFAM companies in the surveillance space, and evidence suggesting an evolution of tracking techniques to evade detection. The investigation further discusses the social and environmental costs of web tracking and how alternative technologies, such as the Gemini protocol, offer pathways to challenge the extractive logic of this new economic order. By closely examining surveillance activities, this research contributes to an ongoing effort to better understand the current state and future trajectory of Surveillance Capitalism.