Privacy Under Pressure: Assessing Online Commercial Surveillance Countermeasures and Gaps

Abstract

Ubiquitous technical surveillance is reshaping the modern information environment. Commercial web-tracking technologies have evolved into a pervasive technical surveillance infrastructure, enabling the large-scale collection of data from everyday activities as people participate in modern society. With sufficient analysis, this data can reveal sensitive information - posing risks to individuals, organizations, and national security. Several software packages exist to limit the exposure of personal information collected online. In recent years, laws and regulations, such as the GDPR and CCPA, have been implemented to help users protect their personal information, with varying degrees of success. This paper examines the recent scholarly literature on web tracking and commercial surveillance techniques. We then synthesize these studies to outline the methods that enable large-scale commercial surveillance on the Internet. Then, we analyze countermeasures designed to limit commercial data exposure, specifically assessing their effectiveness, technical constraints, and operational challenges. Our analysis reveals gaps in existing countermeasures and identifies opportunities for both technical and policy-based improvements to mitigate vulnerabilities introduced by commercially available information. These findings clarify the limitations of current web browser defenses and provide researchers and policymakers with directions on where further effort and investment are most needed.