Nation‑State Surveillance - The "Zombie‑Apocalypse" Playbook
While watching the thrilling Indonesian zombie movie The Elixir (original title: Abadi Nan Jaya), we realized something striking. Global privacy-invasive policies resemble a modern zombie apocalypse for personal privacy. The more we talked about it, the clearer the connection became. This idea echoes the approach taken by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2011. They used a zombie apocalypse theme in their Preparedness 101 guide to boost public awareness of emergency readiness.
Let us explore this comparison to highlight the similarities and discuss steps we can take to prepare. Nation-state surveillance programs share many traits with a classic zombie pandemic. Understanding these parallels is crucial for citizens, policymakers, and technologists.
How the Outbreak Unfolds
Zombie apocalypse films, such as those directed by George A. Romero, typically follow a seven-stage pattern. Here, we adapt that framework to describe current surveillance trends.
1. Sudden Appearance: Out of Nowhere
In zombie stories, the infection emerges abruptly, with early victims unaware they carry it.
In state surveillance, initiatives seem to pop up unexpectedly. While stories like the Pegasus targeted spyware scandal appeared occasionally in the past, 2025 brought a surge. Examples include online age verification, digital ID programs in various countries, "voluntary" chat control, and announcements of central bank digital currencies. This list excludes ongoing practices like bulk metadata collection, facial recognition trials, or the rapid growth of automated license plate readers.
2. Rapid Spread: Multiplies Quickly
In zombie lore, one bite leads to two threats, with numbers doubling hourly.
In state surveillance, countries like China and Singapore once led in mass monitoring to influence citizen behavior. Now, many nations adopt similar strategies and tools. They often frame these as efforts to protect children or prevent crime, even though criminals ignore laws, leaving only law-abiding people affected.
3. Unyielding Advance: Hard to Stop
In zombie tales, standard defenses like walls or weapons eventually fail against the endless horde.
In state surveillance, proposals like chat control get rejected but resurface repeatedly until approved. Legal tools, such as national security letters or emergency powers, use vague wording that withstands court challenges. Even if a program ends, the supporting systems like data storage and AI profiling tools persist, ready for reuse.
4. Easy Entry: Anyone Can Join In
In zombie fiction, a single bite transforms anyone into a spreader.
In state surveillance, laws mandating data collection, such as required SIM registration or biometric IDs, turn everyday people into tracked data without their full agreement. Private firms act as extensions of the state, skirting personal rights via third-party rules. They supply information to fuel the system while earning profits from it.
5. Evolution and Change: Adapts Over Time
In later zombie variants, the undead gain speed, toughness, or new skills.
In state surveillance, authorities upgrade methods continually. They shift from mass phone data gathering to AI-powered facial recognition or from network intercepts to advanced decryption. Each update bypasses prior protections, keeping defenders always catching up.
6. Reliance on Systems: Uses What's Already There
In zombie narratives, the horde follows easy paths like roads, highways, or tracks.
In state surveillance, the setup depends on existing technology networks. This includes telecom lines with mandated access points, cloud services, and social media platforms. By using these, governments avoid expensive custom builds while achieving wide coverage.
7. Spread Through Society: Fear Drives It Forward
In zombie plots, panic leads to poor decisions that create more dangers.
In state surveillance, fears of terrorism or crime justify wider authority. People hear messages like "without monitoring, we are at risk." This cycle encourages citizens to give up rights for a sense of security, making broader tracking seem acceptable.
8. Tough to Eradicate: The Root Lingers
In zombie lore, clearing the visible threats does not eliminate the virus itself.
In state surveillance, ending one program, such as a large-scale data grab, seldom deletes collected information. Stored files, copies, and external data sellers keep records. The legal structure often stays, enabling quick revival of similar efforts.
Why These Comparisons Matter
| Insight | Practical Takeaway |
|---|---|
| Spot it early (sudden appearance) | Promote independent reviews of claimed benefits, transparency updates, and strong protections for those who report issues. |
| Limit the growth (rapid spread) | Advocate for laws that minimize data gathering and restrict how information can be used or linked. |
| Build endurance (unyielding advance) | Create tech protections like full encryption, distributed identities, and secure devices to shrink vulnerabilities. |
| Raise awareness (spread through society) | Educate on the balance between safety claims and privacy freedoms, so fear does not become a tool. |
| Stay flexible (evolution) | Advance privacy tech to match surveillance developments. |
Countermeasures: Your Survival Kit
Legal protections: Stay informed and involved. Back laws that demand specific warrants, shorten data storage times, and create independent review groups. Share your views with elected officials.
Tech defenses: Use tools focused on privacy that rely on end-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge designs. These limit data exposure to only you.
Spread-out options: Decentralized privacy tools and systems are harder to shut down.
Group watchfulness: Connect with organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation to learn more, support open-source privacy work, and inform others.
Closing Reflection
Much like survivors in a zombie story who band together by exchanging knowledge, planning defenses, and avoiding isolation, society can limit invasive government surveillance through shared understanding, vocal opposition, advocacy of strong privacy preserving laws, and adopting privacy-preserving technology. Spotting these patterns lets us predict future changes and respond in time.
Remember: We may not have anything to hide, but everything to protect.
