In November, a report from Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) exposed the atrocious privacy practices of the world’s largest publisher, Elsevier. Many students are required to use Elsevier’s digital books and learning products in order to complete coursework. There were over one billion downloads of their e-books and articles in 2021.

By default, Elsevier surveils every page a student visits on the internet—whether it’s related to their education or a google search for nearby abortion clinics. Then, their wildly permissive terms of service say they can build profiles on individual students and sell this information to data brokers. They have every incentive to do exactly that, especially since they are also a data broker themselves and make tons of money selling data on everyday people to anyone willing to pay, from law enforcement to your abusive ex.

Read more:

Holland, L. & Bounds, J. P. (2023, December 12). E-books are fast becoming tools of corporate surveillance. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90996547/e-books-are-fast-becoming-tools-of-corporate-surveillance