Are We Users or Products?

 

Are We Users or Products?

By Mobina Shaikh

“If you are not paying for the product, then you are the product.”

— Andrew Lewis

Every day, millions of people click “I Agree” without reading a single word of what they are accepting. From social media platforms and shopping apps to games and productivity tools, terms and conditions have become a routine part of digital life—something quickly skipped in exchange for convenience.

But behind that simple click lies a powerful legal agreement that quietly shapes how our data, privacy, and online behaviour are controlled.

Most apps are legally required to provide policies explaining how user data is collected, stored, and used. These agreements often include information about location tracking, contact access, browsing activity, purchasing habits, and personal preferences. While these policies are intended to promote transparency, they are frequently written in lengthy and complex legal language that many users never fully read or understand.

As a result, consent in the digital world becomes increasingly questionable.

Technically, users agree to these terms. But can consent truly be considered informed when most people are unlikely to read or fully understand what they are accepting? This creates a system in which companies gain extensive access to personal information while remaining legally protected through user agreements.

One of the biggest concerns is how digital platforms collect and monetize user data.

Many popular services are free to use because their primary source of revenue is not subscriptions, but advertising powered by personal information. Search histories, online activity, location data, engagement patterns, and user preferences are analyzed to create detailed digital profiles. These profiles help companies predict behaviour, target advertisements, and influence what users see online.

Social media platforms provide one of the clearest examples of this system. Algorithms are designed to maximize engagement by prioritizing content that captures attention and encourages interaction. Over time, these algorithms influence not only what people buy, but also what they think about, discuss, and pay attention to.

In this sense, apps do more than provide services—they actively shape behaviour.

Privacy concerns become even more significant when companies update their policies or change the way data is handled. Many users assume their messages, personal information, and online activity remain fully protected. However, updates to privacy policies and terms of service can alter how information is collected, stored, or shared.

Because these changes are often hidden within lengthy policy updates, users may remain unaware of how their personal information is being used.

At the same time, terms and conditions are designed largely to protect companies from legal liability. These agreements establish ownership rights, define limitations of responsibility, and grant permissions regarding user-generated content and personal data. In many cases, users unknowingly provide companies with broad authority over the information they share online.

This raises an important question:

Are digital platforms serving users, or are users serving the platforms?

The issue is not technology itself. Technology has brought enormous benefits and opportunities. Rather, the concern lies in the imbalance of awareness and power between users and the companies behind the platforms they use every day.

Most individuals do not have the time, legal knowledge, or resources to carefully analyze pages of complex legal terminology before downloading an app. Yet a single click can determine how personal information is collected, stored, shared, and monetized.

Ultimately, terms and conditions are no longer just legal formalities hidden behind a sign-up page.

They have become silent contracts that shape modern digital life.

And perhaps the most concerning reality is not that companies collect data—it is that many people no longer realize how much of themselves they have already agreed to give away.

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