When Authoritarianism Meets Digital Surveillance : A theory-testing analysis of surveillance capitalism in Thailand

Sammanfattning

This thesis explores how Shoshana Zuboff’s theory of surveillance capitalism adapts in a semi-authoritarian state by using Thailand as a single case study. Surveillance capitalism is an economic theory that explains how personal data can be commodified and used for profit in liberal market-driven democracies. However, it's less clear how well this theory works in other political environments, where the state has more power and influence over private actors. This study applies a qualitative theory-testing method by employing a deductive coding schedule that serves as a bridge, translating core elements of surveillance capitalism to legal indicators of systematic data extraction in Thailand. The analysis is based on primary legal material as well as international human rights law. The results show that while Thailand does not follow the market-driven model described by Zuboff, the core principles of surveillance capitalism are present in its legal framework. Data extraction and surveillance practices are used for political control rather than economic profit. The thesis concludes that surveillance capitalism can, and does, adapt to semi-authoritarian regimes, where it poses significant risks to human rights, such as freedom of expression. In a society of legal ambiguity, a widespread surveillance apparatus, and the normalisation of self-censorship, surveillance capitalism intensifies and should thereby be understood as a theory capable of adaptation rather than being purely economic.