Opinion by: Evin McMullen, Co-Founder and CEO of Billion Network and Co-Founder of Privado ID
Population monitoring has evolved in recent years. First, it is from someone else; Later, it was data harvesting. In 2025, technology was the new border for greater public monitoring.
It doesn’t require some dystopia, and it’s also uncomfortable – it’s a new paradigm on how we interact with each other and our data. While it is unavoidable that people need to redefine their expectations around Privacy As we entered the new monitoring period, it is now the time to occupy the opportunity to shape the new normal before the technology has stopped us from active participants on passive topics.
The way to do this is through cryptography.
Monitoring
For most of human history, tracking and running intelligence is limited to the eye. This means that police and detective officials are the main source of public data, and the population has accepted it when it is necessary for the state to keep them safe.
As technology monitoring techniques, such as satellite imagery and internet monitoring, as well as social discomfort. CCTV first sparked anger among civil freedom groups in creating a so-called “Big Brother” society. Over time, however, the population has grown to understand that these powers exist so that malevolent actors can be eliminated.
Today, we stand at the threshold of a new monitoring period, driven by wearing, decentralized networking and, of course, the widespread and appealing influence of AI. This “endless Panopticon” is defined by technology and a broader reception of monitoring.
Do you remember Google Glass? The wearable computer from Google in 2013 was a piece of the museum, but it would normalize the idea of technology that was a self -extension.
Fast forward to 2025, and enlarged devices (AR) devices are becoming more common and sophisticated. In addition to smartphones, we have smartwatches, cars, televisions, “personal assistants,” doorbells and more – all the harvesting of our data 24/7. This trend is expected to continue, with the more advanced AI that is emerged with the latest products.
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Consider the Ray-Ban Smart mirror of the meta, which allows users to call, send texts, control features and more. Apple has joined the fun with its own smart glasses because of 2026, which will offer “Multimodal AI,” integration with Siri and the ability to “study” the wearer’s atmosphere.
This is the same offer Big tech is making decades: We will give you the future in exchange for more intimate data.
The difference in wearables? They do not activate your searches, but your tone of conversation, your emotions … all the private little things that make us who we are.
However, as happened on CCTV and social media monitoring, most of these people will likely accept the next stage of how services work. It is not to say that there are no debates, but the benefits will open many doors that these skills will be widely accepted.
Fortunately, there is technology in the area that can reduce invasiveness while maximizing the benefits.
Especially perfect technology
The explosion of this tracking technology has led to many legal and ethical debates about the rights of individuals to privacy at digital age. There have been developments such as Edward Snowden’s revelations about the US National Security Agency that puts ordinary American citizens or Cambridge Analytica scandal, reminding all citizens about the value of their data. Despite these revelations and debates, most users will still receive digital monitoring for its benefits.
This represents a growing demand for a new model of how we interact with our privacy. Users can be active participants in their sovereignty, having a say on what data they allow to collect and, ultimately, what has been done here. The paradigm is moving, people put in control of their digital footprint at the first time.
What is it acceptable -this Paradigma Shift is a form of cryptography – Proofs that zero-knowledge (ZK). ZK-Proofs means the data can be evaluated and confirmed as valid without revealing what that data is. This is the key to making a broader data collection and is safe for the wider public. Just because an automatic system that confirms the age of a user, address or other information does not mean that any person needs to see it.
It stands to recharge the way the population views the privacy progress. There is no advocate for the destruction of personal obfuscation, but between cryptography and accessibility permission, users will still have a wall between their data and most of the world.
The fact is that the benefits of the latest technologies are only possible with data acquisition. For users who want these benefits, a certain degree of invasive tracking is inevitable. Today, the infrastructure and devices used for monitoring will shape the standards of day -to -day life.
Fortunately, cryptography offers a path where everyone can benefit from a world where smart monitoring is part of the day -to -day social experience. However, this will require a new way of looking at our privacy.
Opinion by: Evin McMullen, co-founder and CEO of billion network and co-founder of Privado ID.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be done as legal or investment advice. The views, attitudes, and opinions expressed here are unique and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of the cointelegraph.
