Surveillance Monopoly

Big Data Domination!

Nov 07, 2024

Welcome to Surveillance Monopoly: Big Data Domination! Here, you’re not just playing for property or cash—you’re fighting for data supremacy, control over the digital economy, and, ultimately, influence over society itself. The board is filled with opportunities to acquire personal data, control digital ecosystems, and influence behaviors. Your goal is to become the ultimate overlord of personal information, subtly controlling public opinion, behavior, and consumption while keeping competitors at bay.

Game Setup

Each player represents a major entity in the surveillance ecosystem: a social media giant, a tech conglomerate, a government agency, or an advertising network. You each start with Data Capital, the currency of Surveillance Monopoly, which can be spent on purchasing data, buying algorithms, and influencing policy. Accumulate the most Data Capital by dominating key areas like social media, e-commerce, and smart tech.

Key Spaces on the Board

Privacy Perimeter: Control user data by pushing policy changes that reduce privacy barriers. Land here to gain access to a massive data reservoir without user consent. Roll a six, and you get a bonus for creating "friendly" Terms of Service that few will read but everyone must accept.
Algorithm Alley: This space lets you fine-tune algorithms that drive engagement, pushing addictive content while analyzing user behavior. If you control both Algorithm Alley and Echo Chamber Express, you get a Narrative Monopoly—a powerful bonus for influencing user beliefs and controlling information flow.
Consent Capture: Use dark patterns and vague language to secure "consent" for data collection. Capture users' consent for broader data access, such as location tracking and mic access, to build detailed user profiles that boost your ad targeting efficiency.
Echo Chamber Express: Land here to build exclusive communities that reinforce biases, capitalizing on divisive topics. Users keep returning, increasing data collection and ad revenue. This space allows you to set up engagement loops that attract advertisers hungry for highly segmented user bases.
Behavior Bank: Here, you access advanced analytics to predict and influence user behaviors. For example, by analyzing mood and routines, you can create highly persuasive advertisements or recommendations, increasing the likelihood that users click and buy.
Surveillance Shopping: Control the bridge between online shopping and ad networks. Each time another player triggers a user purchase, you receive a cut. If you control Surveillance Shopping along with Algorithm Alley, your ad network gains near-perfect predictive accuracy for consumer purchases, supercharging your Data Capital gains.
Digital ID District: In this area, you’re able to promote the adoption of a digital ID linked to health, finance, and travel data. Roll well here, and you'll gain access to biometric and personal details that provide extensive control over user identities, which you can leverage across other spaces.
Lobbyist Lane: On Lobbyist Lane, you buy influence to prevent data privacy regulations and ensure that user data remains accessible. Roll again if you land here to see how many legislators you can sway.
Public Trust Plaza: This square allows you to boost public perception with PR campaigns about “ethical AI” and “user privacy,” whether or not you actually change any practices. If you have already captured data from Consent Capture or Privacy Perimeter, you earn a bonus for reducing backlash from privacy advocates.

How to Win

The goal is to amass the most Data Capital while creating a Data Monopoly in as many spheres as possible. By the end, the player who controls the most sectors—be it social media, e-commerce, personal data, or government databases—wins.

However, beware! If players land too frequently on spaces like Public Backlash Boulevard or Whistleblower Watch, the tides could turn against you, decreasing your influence and potentially triggering fines or loss of control over certain assets.

Gameplay Example

Let’s play a few turns to see how it might unfold.

Turn 1: Social Media Giant’s Roll

The Social Media Giant rolls a five and lands on Consent Capture. They successfully deploy a vague "privacy policy update," and users unwittingly agree to allow expanded access to microphones and location. This grants the player a huge data boost in both real-time behavioral data and physical movement insights, adding significantly to their Data Capital.

Turn 2: Government Agency’s Roll

The Government Agency rolls a three and lands on Digital ID District. They initiate a program that links health records with online activity. By combining biometric data with browsing history, they secure a powerful dataset for tracking user behavior, gaining leverage over competitors in terms of sheer data volume.

Turn 3: Ad Network’s Roll

The Ad Network rolls a six and lands on Algorithm Alley. They upgrade their ad-serving algorithms, enabling predictive targeting based on users' emotional states, drawn from Consent Capture’s microphone data. This leads to an increase in user engagement and boosts their Data Capital.

Turn 4: Tech Conglomerate’s Roll

The Tech Conglomerate rolls a four, landing on Lobbyist Lane. They secure political allies who help ensure no new data privacy regulations are passed in key markets, granting them uninterrupted access to user data. This also weakens competitors who may face restrictions in regulated regions, consolidating the Tech Conglomerate’s power.

Advanced Moves

Once you’ve secured a few key spaces, try combining them for strategic power plays:

Narrative Monopoly: Control Algorithm Alley and Echo Chamber Express to shape the flow of information and create highly specific, targeted “news” for each user. This allows you to boost your public influence and increase ad revenue.
Influence Lockdown: Control Surveillance Shopping, Behavior Bank, and Privacy Perimeter to build a closed-loop ad system that not only anticipates but actively shapes user purchases, ensuring you capture every data point in the buying journey.

Endgame: Becoming the Big Data Dominator

As the game progresses, public resistance grows—users start questioning privacy practices, and rival companies might even expose each other’s dark patterns. But if you’ve amassed enough Data Capital, you can buy your way out of most legal troubles, keep expanding, and ultimately win by achieving Total Data Monopoly.

In Surveillance Monopoly, it’s not about how much money you make. It’s about how well you can manipulate the system, capture data, and shape the digital landscape—until every move a user makes is under your control, willingly or otherwise. The game might end, but your influence lingers on, embedded in the very infrastructure of society itself.

Are you ready to roll the dice and start your journey toward Big Data Domination?