Person

Shoshana Zuboff

Also known as Analysts: Shoshana Zuboff

American scholar and author who critiques surveillance capitalism and digital power, arguing that personal data extraction threatens democracy and human autonomy.

Shoshana Zuboff

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Nationality
United States
Life
1951 – present
Roles
  • scholar
  • author
  • academic

Shoshana Zuboff is a Harvard-trained psychologist and scholar of technology, power, and society. She is best known for her 2019 book *The Age of Surveillance Capitalism*, which argues that major technology companies have created a new economic system based on the extraction and commodification of personal behavioral data. The book traces the origins of this system to Google's early business model and examines how surveillance capitalism threatens individual autonomy, democratic institutions, and human dignity.

Zuboff's earlier work, including *In the Age of the Smart Machine* (1988), examined how information technology reshapes work and organizational life. Throughout her career, she has positioned herself as a critical analyst of how digital technologies concentrate power and reshape human experience. Her writing combines historical analysis, philosophical argument, and empirical observation to make the case that surveillance capitalism represents a fundamental threat to human freedom and democratic governance.

Her work has become influential in policy circles, academic discourse, and public debate about technology regulation. She has testified before Congress and contributed to global conversations about data privacy, algorithmic accountability, and the future of digital society.

Shoshana Zuboff is a Harvard-trained psychologist and scholar who became a leading critic of surveillance capitalism and digital power. Her 2019 book *The Age of Surveillance Capitalism* established her as a major voice in debates about technology, privacy, and democracy. She combines historical analysis with philosophical argument to examine how data extraction by tech companies threatens human autonomy and democratic institutions.

Last updated 31 August 2026