Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 40.
The Erosion of Data Privacy in the Digital Age
[I] Over the past decade, data privacy has shifted from a technical worry to a central societal concern. Every day, people generate large streams of behavioural data by sending messages, travelling with smartphones, or browsing online platforms. These digital traces, once considered insignificant metadata, have become highly valuable assets. Corporations harvest them to refine advertising systems, while governments rely on expanding surveillance tools capable of tracking citizens with growing precision. As a result, personal information is constantly collected, analysed, and repurposed - often without meaningful or informed consent. [II]
Technology companies claim that data-driven services offer convenience through personalised recommendations, predictive search systems, or location-based assistance. However, these advantages hide a major imbalance of power. Most users lack clear knowledge of how their information is stored, shared, or monetised. Privacy policies are long, technical, and designed to discourage careful reading, turning consent into a mere formality. This opacity has created a digital environment in which large-scale data extraction is routine, invisible, and rarely questioned. [III]
The political implications of weakened data privacy are increasingly alarming. Authoritarian states deploy advanced surveillance infrastructures to monitor citizens movements, communications, and social networks. These systems are expanding so rapidly that they often operate beyond meaningful public oversight. Even in democratic nations, tools such as facial recognition and biometric databases challenge the boundary between public security and intrusion. Once collected, data forms an enduring record that can later be used against journalists, activists, or vulnerable communities. The erosion of anonymity therefore threatens both personal autonomy and the stability of open societies. [IV]
Economic incentives intensify the dilemma. Personal data fuels the rapidly expanding “surveillance economy,” where companies compete to gather the most detailed user profiles. Data brokers - operating with limited regulation - sell information to advertisers or political strategists with little transparency. This business model encourages more aggressive data collection while discouraging accountability, leaving even well-intentioned organisations conflicted about prioritising user privacy.
Despite rising public pressure, regulatory efforts remain uneven. Laws such as the EU's GDPR attempt to curb abusive practices, yet enforcement varies and struggles to keep pace with AI-driven data analytics. Protecting privacy now requires more than gradual policy updates; it demands a fundamental rethinking of how digital systems are built, governed, and held responsible.