Author of the opinion: Evin McMullen, Co-founder and CEO of Billions Network, Co-founder of Privado ID
Population surveillance has been evolving for years. Initially, it was about monitoring by others; later, it became data collection. By 2025, wearable technology will become the new frontier of broader public surveillance.
This is not necessarily a dystopia, nor is it comfortable—it's a new paradigm in how we interact with each other and handle data. While entering this new era of surveillance, people will inevitably need to redefine their expectations of privacy, but now is the time to seize the opportunity to shape this new norm before technology marginalizes us from active participants to passive subjects.
The way to achieve this is through cryptography.
For most of human history, surveillance and intelligence operations were limited to what the naked eye could see. This meant that police and detectives were the primary sources of public data, and the public accepted this as a necessary means for the state to protect their safety.
As surveillance methods advanced with technology, such as satellite imagery and internet monitoring, societal discomfort also increased. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) initially sparked outrage among civil liberties groups, concerned about the creation of a so-called "Big Brother" society. However, over time, the public gradually understood that the existence of these powers was to eliminate malicious actors.
Today, we stand on the threshold of a new era of surveillance driven by wearable devices, decentralized networks, and, of course, the pervasive and enticing influence of AI. This "infinite circular prison" era will be characterized by the ubiquity of technology and a broader acceptance of surveillance.
Remember Google Glass? Google's wearable computer from 2013 is now a museum artifact, but it normalized the idea of technology as an extension of oneself.
Fast forward to 2025, augmented reality (AR) devices are becoming more common and sophisticated. In addition to smartphones, we have smartwatches, cars, TVs, "personal assistants," doorbells, and more—all of which continuously collect our data 24/7. This trend is expected to continue, with the latest products embedding more advanced AI.
Consider Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which allow users to make calls, send texts, control functions, and more. Apple will launch its own smart glasses in 2026, joining the game with "multimodal AI," integration with Siri, and the ability to "analyze" the wearer's environment.
This is the same promise that big tech companies have been making for decades: we will give you the future in exchange for more intimate data.
What sets wearable devices apart? They do not monetize your searches but rather your conversational tone, your emotions… all the private little things that make up our identity.
Nevertheless, as happened with CCTV and social media tracking, most people may accept this as the next phase of how services operate. This is not to say there won't be debates, but the benefits will open so many doors that these practices will be widely accepted.
Fortunately, existing technology can minimize invasiveness while maximizing benefits.
This explosion of technological surveillance has sparked many legal and ethical debates about individual privacy rights in the digital age. Events like Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA's surveillance of ordinary American citizens or the Cambridge Analytica scandal have reminded all citizens of the value of their data. Despite these revelations and debates, most users will still accept digital surveillance for its benefits.
This represents a growing demand for a new model of how we handle privacy. Users can become active participants in their sovereignty, having a say in what data is allowed to be collected and ultimately how that data is processed. The paradigm is shifting, placing humans for the first time in control of their digital footprints.
What makes this paradigm shift acceptable is a form of cryptography—zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. ZK proofs mean that data can be analyzed and confirmed as valid without revealing what that data is. This is key to making broader data collection fair and secure for the general public. Just because automated systems verify a user's age, address, or other information does not mean anyone needs to see it.
This will reshape how the public views privacy in the future. No one advocates for the destruction of personal obfuscation, but between cryptography and permissioned access, users will still have a wall between their data and much of the world.
The reality is that the benefits of the latest technologies can only be realized through data capture. For users who want these benefits, a certain degree of invasive monitoring is inevitable. Now, the infrastructure and devices used for monitoring will shape the norms of daily life.
Fortunately, cryptography offers a path for everyone to benefit from a world where smart surveillance becomes part of the social everyday experience. Nevertheless, this will require a new way of viewing our privacy.
Author of the opinion: Evin McMullen, Co-founder and CEO of Billions Network, Co-founder of Privado ID.
Related: U.S. Senate passes GAIN Act, prioritizing domestic AI and HPC chip sales
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
Original article: Opinion: AI Wearables Will Force a Change in Our Privacy Expectations
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